I wonder how many people you know watched some of the funeral of Pope Francis. I wonder how many were touched by his ability to empathise with everyone he met. It  has been said that the Catholic Church is dying yet it is estimated 4000,00 people were in St Peter’s square for his Requiem Mass or lined the streets for his final funeral journey. Over 250 thousand people from all over the world queued for hours throughout the day or night to pay their last respects to a man that many had never met but somehow, they had encountered and been affected by him. Many hundreds of youth were present for the Jubilee of Youth and they stayed because they wanted to show their respect to a great  man, Pope Francis. On the Saturday evening people gathered outside the Basilica of St. Mary Maggiore, the church of his final resting place. They hung around for a longtime as they wanted to be part of the recitation of the rosary but it was as though they could not bring themselves to leave. They wanted to be close to him.

The media revelled in the idea that just before the funeral Mass was to begin, the meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky was engineered by the late Pope Francis bringing the possibility of peace closer.  This maybe true, but it definitely shows  people are looking for spiritual  intervention in this world.

People are fascinated and touched by the ability Pope Francis had to make them feel accepted whatever their faith situation. He was someone very special. Yet all he did was live out the Gospel values as we are asked to do. Yes, he was unusual as he was in charge of the faith practised by billions of people and he put his own stamp on the role of the pontiff. It was a more relaxed, welcoming, loving  pontiff that we saw, who was very much in charge but who had time for everyone. At the same time, he was himself, George Bergoglio – the caring sympathetic personable man who everyone could identify with.

Is this how we live out our faith? The last command of Jesus in Mathew 28:19 was ‘Go out and make disciples, baptise in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach them all I have taught you.’  We need to look deeper into how to do this or maybe how to do this better.

 When we accompany people in the faith, we walk beside them and help them to encounter the faith or return to the faith. We can do simple things in our everyday life such as at the end of a conversation say ‘God bless’. I try to do this when I am speaking on the phone trying to solve utility difficulties or talking to someone at the bank – they are often taken aback and say thankyou which shows they are not just shaken by it, but they appreciate it. Sometimes they shakily reply ’oh yes and to you too’. When responding to a question from a hairdresser about what I do, I spoke about working for the Church and having a ministry helping adults to know their faith better. I then discovered she was a catholic and now always wants to talk about the Church. She probably cannot do this with any other client.

We should not let our British reserve, or shyness prevent us from speaking about God. Sometimes we feel blocked by a lack of confidence in our knowledge of the faith. Are we happy just to stay in this rut or is there something we can do to help our faith knowledge increase?  Is there someone you could speak to about this or any kind of reading you can do to help your faith foundation increase? We need to be aware that we need to grow deeper in knowing our faith with our heart, not just with our head. Anyone can read and just quote others, but the attraction to the faith and conversion of the heart are sparked by the passion seen in someone who believes and  speaks from the heart.

When someone turns up at Mass, they may be returning to the church after being away for a while or maybe they are a new comer. The last thing they need is an interrogation, but a simple ‘hello’, ‘how are you’, ‘great to see you’, at the church door to welcome them is much better and less oppressive. Once we have repeated this exercise for a while, maybe we could offer to sit with them in church. Many non-regular attenders who arrive at the church door are hesitant and do not need to be bombarded, they are often anxious and unsure of themselves and may feel too much is expected of them too soon. They often feel lost as they do not know or cannot remember the responses in Mass, but with someone standing beside them guiding them often helps them to relax.

In today’s world where faith is not valued, we British are not only reluctant to share our faith with others, we are also reluctant  to share the fact that we are on a journey constantly seeking to know more because it looks as if we do not know our faith well enough. On a recent trip to Spain several people from the church went for a coffee in a local coffee shop and all the talk was about things connected to the faith. This is partly because they come from a culture of faith, it is embedded in their DNA. Do we do this when we go for coffee after Mass or is our conversation about anything and everything except our relationship with Jesus and the Church? We often find this depth of faith in immigrants who come to our parishes. Many British, although they do their best, do not have a faith at such a depth that it penetrates all their being and everything their family does.

Is there a way to make a breakthrough to enable sharing about Jesus, and our faith to be the norm in the groups we are part of. Recently one of the members of a group spoke about a relative being a sister in the church and the others in the group were fascinated. Questions were raised by this, such as ‘What made her want to do this?’ ‘How could she give up a family?’ But also, people were incredibly impressed and touched by the fact that this young woman could give up everything for God. This was a chance to speak about the importance of God in our life.

People are seeking and want to know about this loving God but they are afraid to ask in case they are ridiculed, so we need to make the openings to enable them to ask questions. We need to remember to trust the Holy Spirit as he will give us the words we need to speak to the heart of others. No-one said it was easy but let us have confidence in God- He will provide all we need.

We need to initiate others in the art of accompaniment within their own circles, including in their families. How many parents avoid the subject of religion with grown up sons and daughters in fear that an argument will follow and they will distance themselves from you. We need to pray, speak and trust that God will provide the opportunities to share our faith.  He will provide the words we need to speak and open the ears of those we speak to. We cannot do this alone We need him.

We cannot hide the fact that there are times when we will be attacked for what we say, we will be mocked and may sometimes feel a failure.  However, we have a responsibility to spread the faith which includes laying down the seeds of truth. Then the Holy Spirit will develop the seed you planted within others, but you need to give him room to work within them. This is when prayer is so important, we plant the seed and step back and pray as the Holy Spirit moves in for his part in the process. The more we share, the more our confidence grows. The more we know our own faith, the more we can accompany others with a growing confidence. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you to situations in which to share your faith and ask him to give you the words others need to hear.