Morning Homilies

Every morning Pope Francis says Mass for fellow residents and guests in the chapel of St Martha's, the modest guesthouse where he lives. This book of homilies - reflections on scriptural passages - is edited from the first five months of his papacy and gives a clear indication of his priorities in terms of humility, gentleness and love. The Church, he claims, is not an organisation but rather a love story, speaking to the heart rather than the head, which is inclined to formulate divisive ideologies. He goes as far as characterising the church as a mother and definitely not an NGO, although his recent environmental encyclical has appealed to NGOs in this field. Humility runs through many of his reflections, starting from the Incarnation and person of Christ himself. For the Pope, an aspect of humility is not to think that one can make one's own way and find one's own door - for him, the only door is Jesus. The book is best read in small sections as the homilies were delivered. Readers are warned against hypocrisy, idolatry, slander, grumbling and gossip, while recognising the unavoidable frailties of human nature. The format is one of reports with direct quotations, rather than a verbatim account of the homilies themselves. This certainly clarifies the message, and many homilies are full of of down-to-earth practical advice.