The seven endearing qualities of Pope Francis

We have seen him on TV in the Vatican, in Saint Peter's Square, in Sri Lanka, and starting yesterday, here in the Philippines. Pope Francis touches us in so many wonderful and amazing ways. The life that he lives is worth a thousand sermons. The values he lives by and the principles that he exemplifies are gems from which we derive so much inspiration and hopes. In a world that has become too secular and materialistic, and at a time that has given itself to hedonism and too much fixation for instant pleasures and self-seeking relationships, the life of Pope Francis is a light amidst too much gloom and doom. The more we study his life, the more we are inspired.

Indeed, each one needs to be inspired by the life of this great Vicar of Christ. The first endearing quality of Pope Francis is that he is too like any of us. As a child, he collected stamps. He likes football and motorcycles, his favorite being Harley-Davidson. He used to dance the Tango. He got a crush on a pretty girl when he was in his teens. Then he had a girlfriend, named Amalia Damante, who later spurned him, and to whom, he said: If I cannot marry you, I'll become a priest. And the rest is history. We have a pope who is very much like us and yet too different in a lot of ways. He likes to have selfies, makes his own coffee, and chats with his four Filipino staff every day.

Second, Pope Francis, as the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio was, as he is still, even as pope, very down-to-earth. He trained as a chemist and later worked as a chemical technician in the food section of a laboratory company in Argentina. Then, he worked as a bouncer in a nightclub and bar, too unlikely for a future pope, and yet, he earned as such and helped his father, who was a railroad worker, to support a growing family of five children. He was the eldest. Even as archbishop, he remained simple and took the train and the bus on the way to work and back. He was never ostentatious, neither arrogant nor haughty. Until now, he lives in an apartment just like any pilgrim.

Third, at a very young age, Jorge Mario was a teacher in two Catholic schools, first at the Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion and in Colegio del Salvador in Argentina. He taught literature and psychology. This distinction makes Pope Francis just like Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict. The three were all teachers. Fourth, Pope Francis can speak three languages fluently: Spanish, Italian, and German. He can also speak French, Portuguese, English, Ukrainian, and the Piedmontese dialect in Italy. Thus, today's teachers can identify with him.

Fifth, Pope Francis had a very serious health issue when he was very young. He was afflicted with a life-threatening pneumonia which almost claimed his life. He was made to undergo a major operation resulting to the taking of half of his lungs. And yet, what endears him to us is that he finds communion with the sick, the old, and the infirm. Sixth, Pope Francis, just like Saint John Paul II, is a fervent devotee of the Virgin Mary. Seventh, his motto remains the same as when he was still Archbishop of Argentina:'' Miserando atque eligendo'', which means "By Mercy, I was Chosen." Not by claimed competence nor by qualifications, but by mercy. So humble, so lacking in self-righteousness.

These are Pope Francis' endearing qualities, which, to our mind, are what matter most.