Pope Francis On Wonder As The Beginning Of Philosophy

The beginning of every philosophy is wonder, and only wonder leads to knowledge. Notice that moral and cultural degradation begin to arise when this capacity for wonder is weakened or cancelled or when it dies. The cultural opiate tends to cancel, weaken, or kill this capacity for wonder. Pope Luciani [Pope John Paul I] once said that the drama of contemporary Christianity lies in the fact that it puts categories and norms in the place of wonder. But wonder comes before all categories; it is what leads me to seek, to open myself up; it is what makes the answer—not a verbal or conceptual answer—possible for me. If wonder opens me up as a question, the only response is the encounter, and only with the encounter is my thirst quenched. And with nothing else is it quenched more.

-Pope Francis (formerly Jorge Mario Bergoglio), "For Man" in A Generative Thought: An Introduction to the Works of Luigi Guissani

Habemus Papam Franciscum!

I love Pope Francis already!

 
From all appearances and reports, he is a very humble and holy man, truly embodying the spirit of the saint of Assisi, after whom he is named. And I'm not talking about the tree-hugging, hippy, vulgarization of St. Francis, but the Christ-like saint who not only cared for the least among us, but also had the courage to preach the Gospel to the Sultan...and lived to tell about it. Francis confounds the "social justice-Catholic-in-name-only" notion that says that one cannot be both caring to the poor and oppressed, while steadfastly maintaining doctrinal orthodoxy. Let us pray for our new Holy Father, for he has a momentous task ahead of him. The world is increasingly hostile to the Gospel and all kinds of aberrations against the natural law and revealed law are being pushed in the public square. May our gentle, but firm Pope Francis lead the modern world back to Christ!

TRADITIONAL PRAYER (LATIN)

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco
R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. Pater Noster, Ave Maria
Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Franciscum, quem pastorem Ecclesiæ tuæ præesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quæsumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus præest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

TRADITIONAL PRAYER (ENGLISH)

V. Let us pray for Francis, our Pope.
R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. Our Father, Hail Mary
O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Francis, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here is also a biography of Pope Francis.

What Does A Pope Do When He Retires?

Catch up on reading, of course!

It is reported that His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has brought with him and is currently (re-)reading Hans Urs von Balthasar's The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics (which consists of 7 volumes). I have written on the first volume, Seeing The Form, as it relates to the interpretation of Scripture. Give it a read and then I would recommend taking after our dear Pope Emeritus' example and read this great work by von Balthasar.