Thought for the Week

I WAS interested to see the Pope arrive in Bangladesh, not in a bullet proof popemobile, but in a simple rickshaw.

Pope Francis doesn’t use the popemobile but favours being able to engage with the crowds on a very personal level.

Pope Francis is a man of the people, a humble servant of the God he worships.

Shortly after arriving from neighbouring Myanmar, he urged the world to take ‘decisive measures’ to resolve the crisis that has forced more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing ethnic unrest across the border into overstretched camps in Bangladesh.

Francis has praised Bangladesh for giving refuge to the Rohingya who have flooded in.

Francis also met with Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist leaders during his three days in the country.

What a great example to talk together with people of different faiths and try to find a way forward. How good to try to find a solution by dialogue instead of resorting to violence.

In this season of Advent, Christians once again are on a spiritual journey to the manger and await the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Jesus didn’t arrive in a fancy carriage either and as a young child he had to flee with his parents to escape the evil persecution of King Herod.

He was in the world with all its flaws and broken dreams, yet chose to live with the poor and rejected, the lost and the homeless.

But after 2000 years, this humble man who travelled on a donkey to his birth and death, is remembered throughout the world this Christmas.

Jesus didn’t enter the world stage with a drum roll and cheering crowds, but with a baby’s cry and a few shepherds around him.