Do yourself a favor...

Have you had a chance to watch any of the coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States?

If not…do yourself a favor and tune in.

Today I witnessed the best that humanity has to offer.

I basked in the joy as the faces of tens of thousands of believers and non-believers alike literally lit up at the sight of this remarkable human being.

I listened as this soft spoken man delivered his powerful message…a message that is not about God or faith but rather a message of joy, goodness, inclusion and forgiveness. A call to do unto others as you would have then do unto you.

I observe this skillful communicator as he deftly weaved his way through the minefields of the most controversial topics in a manner that was compassionate and inclusive rather than divisive.

I watched as stone faced cynical leaders wept at the sound of his words.

And then, corny as this may sound…I choked up myself as this, one of the most powerful men in the world, asked the 50,000 people lining the Washington Mall for help. With genuine humility he said: “I ask all of you to pray for me. And to those of you here that are not believers…I ask that you send goods wishes my way.”

As a practicing Catholic I know full well that the Catholic Church, like any organization run by human beings, is a flawed institution. Bad behavior and bad decision making are intuitional defects that have existed within the church’s DNA for over 2,000 years.

On March 13, 2013 the Catholic Church elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio Bishop of Rome, Sovereign of Vatican City and the 266th successor to Peter, as Pope of the Catholic Church.

This time they got it right.

Do yourself a favor. See the best that humanity has to offer and the possibilities that his positive message holds for all of us.