Pope Quotes Nickelback?

By Benjamin O'Loughlin 

A Sunday in Rome. Confirmation mass in St. Peter's. Papal homily. Theology, right?

Be rebel. Be counter-cultural. Swim against the current. Go against the grain. Pope Francis' rock the world message reminded me of Nickelback's What If This Was Your Last Day more than anything else.


Nickelback:

Going against the grain should be a way of life. What's worth the price is always worth the fight. Every second counts cause there's no second try. So live it like you're never living twice. Don't take the free ride in your whole life... Swear up and down to God above, that you'll finally fall in love. If today was your last day, if today was your last day, would you make your mark? On ending a broken heart? You know it's never too late, to shoot for the stars. 

Pope Francis:

Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord. This is the secret of our journey! He gives us the courage to swim against the tide. Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide. Jesus gives us this courage! There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear... We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake your lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!

Rockstar and the pope hammer home the same truth. Going against the grain and swimming against the tide are two ways of expressing the same idea: no one ever changed the world by doing the same thing as everyone else. 

Simple but often forgotten. Why? Because swimming against the tide is hard. And we have a talent for forgetting hard truths. Because hard truths are for heroes, for the ones who don't forget, the ones who don't take the free ride... Still, can we swim against the tide? Motivational music can get us revved up. But you can only swim against the tide for so long before running out of steam.

That's where the pope is both more realistic and more hopeful than the rockstar. Pope Francis says no Christian was chosen by the Lord for little things. Christ changed the world, so being Christian means changing the world. Even if you're too puny to take it on by yourself. How?

 To weak to swim against the tide for long? Go to God for the strength. He is God, after all.

Go here for the Pope's whole homily.