2013-05-02      John W        John W's previous articles

Pope Francis is giving new meaning to the famous words of Paul VI

Several decades ago, Pope Paul VI famously said  "the world no longer listens to teachers, only to witnesses"

 Paul VI's words clearly apply to Pope Francis: the world is listening to Francis, because people know that Francis "walks the talk", he practices what he preaches, he is a witness-teacher, he is a Jehovah Witness in the best sense of the term! 

We can say the world is not just listening, but eagerly listening - the Catholic world, the Christian world, the secular world ...all are following Francis words, as they followed the words of John XXIII long ago

And not just following Francis' words, but following his actions. He's speaking most eloquently by his actions, like washing inmates' feet. That one action was more powerful than libraries of words about humble service

People are sick and tired of being told what to do, especially by those who don't practice what they preach. People no longer want to hear disembodied homilists. They want to see flesh and blood witnesses who live out their words. People want to see words-made-flesh, words incarnated, which of course is exactly what Jesus did. He didn't just talk about forgiveness ...he practiced it to his dying breath

 This all means that Paul VI's words
 can be updated to read:
"Don't tell me what to do, 
but show me what you do"

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