by Rev. Paul Baker, August 2025

“. . . for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing . . . I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36

“Jesus, make my heart more like yours.” Pope Francis I

Those seven words are the prayer that Pope Francis offered every day of his ministry. The prayer of the late pontiff comes from a place of humility and speaks to a desire to follow in the footsteps of our lord and savior. The prayer invites us to reflect on the person of Christ and on his ministry that gave special regard “to the least of these” who are our sisters and
brothers.

If we have a heart more like Jesus, we will use God’s blessings to give food, drink, and clothing to those in need, and we will visit the sick and imprisoned, and we will welcome the strangers (foreigners, refugees) among us . . . and there is more.

You see, I want every single person to meet Jesus and to serve Jesus . . . and the prayer of Pope Francis invites us to do just that because this special prayer also points to the words of Matthew 25 where Jesus says that “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

There’s the key: when, guided by a heart like Jesus, we reach out to those in need, we will in fact meet Jesus in person. I know this to be true.

I have experienced it on mission trips, even as I must confess that I thought I would be the one offering Jesus. Instead, I met Jesus in the people who live joyful lives in the midst of difficult circumstances. I experience it every week at FACES Food Pantry as we work with those whose challenges remind me of how fortunate I am. Nonetheless, the neighbors we
serve offer kind words and smiles that invite me to closer relationship with our lord. And I encounter the amazing spirit and courage of Jesus every time I am privileged to visit and pray with individuals who are ill.

My challenge is this: I have opportunities to know Jesus better every day…and I miss him all too often as I get caught up in my own world and fail to take the time to see with his heart and eyes.

My time as your pastor has been brief, and I want to thank you for all the ways in which you teach me to live as one with the heart of Jesus, for all the ways in which you show the passion and compassion that demonstrates how closely you follow the one who came to show us the way.

And my prayer is that Jesus will make my heart and your heart more like his every single day of our lives.

– Rev. Paul Baker