By J. Lee Grady

The election of the new pope is a prophetic slap in the face for our egotistical excess.

I’m not Catholic, and I’ve never completely understood Catholics’ preoccupation with Vatican politics. But I’ve been watching the Vatican closely since last month when Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became the 266th pope and instantly got two million followers—and counting—on Twitter.

Why is this man so popular? That’s easy to understand. He’s humble. He cooks for himself. He chose to live in a small apartment in Buenos Aires instead of the archbishop’s palace. When he was the leader of Argentina’s Catholics, he took el micro—the city bus—to get around. He took the bus again after his election in Rome.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Someone I loved once gave me two matching elephants from India for my birthday. They were studded with small colored mirrors and jewels. I loved the giver of the gift deeply—and often liked to look at the elephants as an old married couple that one day we might be.

That one day never came.

One night, driven to let go of the giver of the gift and the pain of my lost dream, I laid the elephants on the altar of my kitchen counter. I needed an outlet for the anger--and grief, if I’m honest--so I slammed a hammer down on the “girl” elephant. Bits of mirrors and jewels flew and skittered across the counter, but the “body” of the girl elephant remained intact—brown and solid like packed earth. Again I pounded it. More beads and mirrors split and scattered, but the body withstood the blows.

I love the month of March. It is the manifestation of all the preparation and colorful rebirth of nature--plants, leaves, flowers, and grass. It shows that nature’s preparation for spring is never in vain. In recent times, I’ve been thinking a lot about the process and reward of preparation and what the words “good luck” have to do with it.

Although there are many Biblical analogies I can refer to, I’ll stick with my two favorites. Was it luck that delivered Esther into the king’s presence and heart? Did Saul of Tarsus automatically become anointed and fearless after he encountered Jesus on the way to Damascus? If we look at the answers to these questions, we will see that good luck had nothing to do with their fate.

If it were in your power to abolish pain, would you do it? Repeatedly I’ve contemplated this question. Life is hard.

You turn the key then close the door behind you, drop your bags on the floor. You reach for the light, but there’s darkness deep inside and you can’t take it anymore. ‘Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you and sometimes living is all you can do. Life is hard; the world is cold.

When your last thread of hope begins to come unraveled …*