A time to see, choose and act.

“Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”

idealistic but really refreshing approach to the world’s troubles, where they stem from, and how to initiate going about mending them. the pope aims to speak to the true heart of the reader as well as challenge that heart’s nature. christianity has the most adherents in the world and of those adherents, half identify as catholic. i personally live in a US state where almost half the population identify as catholic as well so i read this to understand catholicism (as well as christianity as a whole) a little better.

This is going to be one I come back to and I think this could be a powerful read for anyone, Catholic or not.

Pope Francis looks at the weaknesses in our world that have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and speaks specifically on how we can do better.

The first section discusses how to see these weaknesses and our downfalls, to notice where we could do better. The second section talks a little about his experiences working with groups and how to hear the people most deeply affected by problems in the world. The third section specifically talks about issues like economics, migration, the death penalty, technology, abortion, politics and how all these issues should be viewed through a lens of re-humanizing people and ensuring everyone’s dignity.

This was a stressful read (since we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and these are massive problems) but was absolutely worth it.

Excellent.

I don't know that I can say that I am catholic anymore, but I do adore pope Francis. This reflection on 2020 was really enlightening. My favorite quote is "We build a people not with weapons of war but in the productive tension of walking together"

This was a book riot read harder challenge 2020 book. There were several things that I loved in this book, several things that challenged me to think and do differently, and some things that I just did not agree with. I think that makes for a pretty good reading outside of my comfort zone. One thing I always struggle with and nonfiction books are absolutes.

This was my first read of 2021, and I'm thankful this book fell into my hands so easily through my public library. In this short but effective book, Pope Francis accomplishes a few main things. First, he is able to clearly identify and name what he has seen come out of the COVID pandemic. I know we all have our own perspectives of the pandemic and how it has changed our daily lives and the greater world, but to hear reflections from the leader of the Catholic church offered me a perspective that broadened my own views. The pope also calls back to previous experiences and interactions with humans across the world, which help expand his points about who/what/when we should be caring for others. I think this book did a great job at then transitioning to a perspective of what needs are ever-present and not just present because of the pandemic. I think many of us are aware of these needs, particularly for certain populations and groups of individuals, but convenience lets us ignore those needs when things are working "normally" in the world. Pope Francis calling us out to actually work toward change despite the pandemic was a great point, and he does a great job at integrating Catholic social teaching and a Jesuit perspective as he does this. Finally, the pope ends with inspiration and goals for us as we move forward. As the pandemic is not over yet, I'm glad this book came out when it did so that we can start to move toward these changes sooner rather than later. This is a great read for any Catholic!