Already, I a amazed at the energy with which Pope Francis is moving through his arduous Visit. I watched much of the coverage from Cuba, and kept wondering, “How does he maintain his natural, loving, joy-filled smile? He has to be beyond tired.”

I think of myself when I’m tired, when the lupus fatigue brings a heaviness and lethargy to my muscles and pain to my joints. I’m hard-pressed to conduct a coherent conversation, then. But this Pontiff is absolutely beaming under travel conditions (a jammed schedule, multiple time zones, etc.) that would make even a healthy person tired!

As you and I know, there are some conditions that we who have chronic illness cannot overcome, even with our expert medical teams.  For me, one of these is fatigue. But Pope Francis’ trip thus far yields some clues as to how we might tackle it, subdue it a bit

I’ve noticed that Pope Francis has a lot of help. Of course he would; after all, he is Pope. But it’s a good reminder to us that we, too, might be more quick to ask for and avail ourselves of help-.

Another lesson I’ve observed so far is that, of course, Pope Francis exhibits a supremely solid core of Spirit. This is vital to keeping ourselves even and peaceful, even in the midst of a hectic schedule and arduous activities.

Finally, Pope Francis is doing what he loves and what he is clearly called to do. This is key and we who are ill can take great wisdom from this example: When we do what we love and what God is asking us to do, there is much less toil and much more inspiration!

No doubt I’ll learn much more from Pope Francis as his Visit unfolds. But this lesson is powerful – and something to ponder and embrace now and long after the Visit is over.

Peace,

Maureen