'My people are poor and I am one of them'.         

    This is one of the distinguished statements and probably  the most quoted line when we talk about Pope Francis. ‘We must smell like our sheep!’ Many are lured to him because of his humility and approachability. His continuous and tireless concern for the well-being of the poor, which he claims to be his primary concern, makes everyone attracted to him. Francis is a fulfillment of an ideal leader of the church. He is an authentic manifestation of Christ.

          As a seminarian, it is a great privilege for me to learn such kind of personality is coming over in our very own country. I am very much exited although it is already given that I cannot really come close to him face to face, but anyways. You might ask why I am proud of him. This is because I find Pope Francis a rare type but an ideal one. It is unusual for a Pope to decline such luxurious offer by virtue of his position instead prefer to live a humble and simple lifestyle. Few examples are worth mentioning especially on his first appearance as a pontiff: a.) he chose to reside at the Vatican guesthouse rather than the papal residence, b.) he chose to wear the white cassock instead of the red one, c.) he wore the iron pectoral cross instead of the gold, and d.) he chose to ride on a simple car. And these examples fascinate me the most. His example motivates me to strive harder in my response to the call that I am holding on at this very moment. His person sends a message of hope to me personally. There is an impact that continuously ignites my being, not to lose hope despite the reality of “corruption” of “some” in the church. And this is due to the example that Pope Francis keeps on portraying. Another area of him which I like is his advocacy for social outreach rather than doctrinal battle as essential business of the church. One of the readings that I have about the life of Pope Francis narrates that he has abolished bonuses paid to Vatican employees and Board supervisors opting instead to donate the money to the poor. He visits jails and continue to appeal for peace talks in the whole world. This clearly stresses Pope Francis’ consistency and faithfulness with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

  In the seminary, we are taught of the ideal priesthood that would really represent Christ before the church. Teachings are pretty much structured and presented very clearly to each seminarian. We are given the privilege to orient ourselves to what a life of a priest would look like, from the individual setting of rooms, responsible freedom, standardized academic demands, down to pastoral exposures every weekend. I think we’ve got every necessary tool to function as to what we are ought to be. However, it is truly a sad reality for me to know some of our priests get corrupted when they are already in the field. Some are very idealistic at first, but later on, they cannot sustain it. And then, they choose to be corrupted. But still, thanks to Pope Francis effect to me and to everyone. At least, in this modern time, we still have Pope Francis who is an ideal model of Christ—a man who continues to touch every life no matter who and what he/she is.

And this is a great challenge for me to imitate the example of Pope Francis and hold on to the ideals that I have as much as I can.