2013-04-29 John W John W's previous articles
Imitating Pope Francis' common touch
In an article of April 1, Following Francis' example, I mentioned four ways we can imitate the example of Pope Francis: A simple lifestyle, concern for the poor, liturgical simplicity, the common touch
On April 8, the article Imitating Pope Francis' love for the poor outlined some ways we can show and increase our concern for the poor
On April 15 I posted Imitating Pope Francis' simple life style, with ideas about "downsizing"
On April 22 there was the article Imitating Pope Francis' ligurgical simplicity
Today let's think about the common touch, that we may imitate Francis who puts into practice this definition
| The
common touch:
The
ability of a rich or important person to communicate well with, and
understand, ordinary people.
e.g. It was always said of the princess that she had the common touch and that's why she was so loved by the people. e.g. He was a dedicated and brilliant leader but he lacked the common touch. |
The
opposite of the common touch is aloofness
which is defined as
"A
quality
or
state
of
being
distant,
cold,
or
uninterested;
an
appearance
of
being
above
the
fray;
indifference"
e.g.
Some
pundits
think
the
senator's
aloofness
has
diminished
his
ability
to
connect
with
the
electorate
c.f. Aloof (Singapore) politician striving for the common touch
We
can ask ourselves:
In a group, do I gravitate to the "more important people", or do I mix
with everyone, especially the "less important" people?
Am I comfortable mixing with ordinary people, especially poor people?
My friendship with ordinary people, especially the poor...is it real or just for show
Do I put on airs ?
Do "less important" people avoid me, or do they find it easy to approach me and communicate with me?
We can remember the example of Jesus who mixed with everyone and felt at home with everyone, as they did with him. We can think of common touch leaders like Thomas More, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, Wen Jiabo
Popes
and bishops and priests and religious with the
common touch should not be the exception.
They should be the rule.
Every Christian leader, every Christian, should have the
common touch
See also:
Durham
(US) hospital leader brought a common
touch
Taiwan mourns Cardinal Shan
as a great man with the
common touch
Pope
Francis: a pastor with the common
touch
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