A three-year-old girl, helped by her grandmother, decided to write a letter to Pope Francis. During her family’s pilgrimage to Rome, to observe the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s death, the Pontiff was doing his usual rounds greeting the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square, kissing and blessing many children, among whom was Alice Maria Rocca, the sender of the letter. While the Pope was kissing her tenderly on the head, she placed the letter in his hands directly.
Some days later, a happy surprise arrived for Alice’s family. In fact, in their mailbox was an envelope from the Secretariat of State of Vatican City and inside was a letter from Pope Francis, who blessed the little girl and all her dear ones.
“I never thought he would reply. We didn’t expect it, in fact, it was a surprise,” said the girl’s mother. She added, “Among the hundreds of thousands of letters that arrive for the Pope from all over the world every day, the Holy Father replied specifically to us.”
In her note to the Pope, Alice introduced herself and asked for a blessing for herself, her family, and the daycare she attends.
Answering her requests, the letter stated: “The Holy Father thanks you for your kind thoughts and invokes upon you the heavenly intercession of Blessed John XXIII, so that you can grow up happy and serene in friendship with Jesus and, while asking you to pray for him, imparts from his heart to you, to your parents and to your grandmother the Apostolic Blessing, gladly extending it to your dear ones, with a particular thought for your friends and teachers at the daycare.”
From zenith.org
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 
Commentary – Saturday of the 15th week in Ordinary Time
Click here to see today’s readings.
17-21. Once again the sacred text points out the contrast between the contem-
porary mistaken Jewish notion of a spectacular messianic kingdom and the dis-
cernment which Jesus asks of those who witness and accept His teaching and
miracles. By providing this long quotation from Isaiah (42:1-4), the Evangelist is
giving us the key to the teaching contained in Chapters 11 and 12: in Jesus the
prophecy of the Servant of Yahweh is fulfilled: the lovable and gentle teacher
has come to bring the light of truth.
When narrating the passion of our Lord, the Gospels will once again remind us
of the figure of the Servant of Yahweh, to show that in Jesus the suffering and
expiatory aspect of the death of the Servant finds fulfillment (cf. Matthew 27:30,
with reference to Is 50:6; Matthew 8:17 and Isaiah 53:4; John 1:38 and Isaiah
53:9-12; etc.).
17. Isaiah 42:1-4 speaks of a humble servant, beloved of God, chosen by God.
And in fact Jesus, without ceasing to be the Son of God, one in substance with
the Father, took the form of a servant (cf. Philippians 2:6). This humility led him
to cure and care for the poor and afflicted of Israel, without seeking acclaim.
18. See the note on Matthew 3:16.
[Note on Matthew 3:16 states:
16. Jesus possessed the fullness of the Holy Spirit from the moment of His con-
ception. This is due to the union of human nature and divine nature in the per-
son of the Word (the dogma of hypostatic union). Catholic teaching says that in
Christ there is only one person (who is divine) but two natures (divine and human).
The descent of the Spirit of God spoken of in the text indicates that just as Jesus
was solemnly commencing His messianic task, so the Holy Spirit was beginning
His action through Him. There are very many texts in the Old Testament which
speak of the showing forth of the Holy Spirit in the future Messiah. This sign of
the Spirit gave St. John the Baptist unmistakable proof of the genuineness of his
testimony concerning Christ (cf. John 1:29-34). The mystery of the Holy Trinity is
revealed in the baptism of Jesus: the Son is baptized; the Holy Spirit descends
on Him in the form of a dove; and the voice of the Father gives testimony about
His Son. Christians must be baptized in the name of the Three Divine Persons.
“If you have sincere piety, the Holy Spirit will descend on you also and you will
hear the voice of the Father saying to you from above: “This was not My son, but
now after Baptism he has been made My son” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “De Bap-
tismo”, 14).]
19. The justice proclaimed by the Servant, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, is
not a noisy virtue. We can see the loving, gentle way Jesus worked His miracles,
performing righteousness in all humility. This is how He brings about the triumph
of His Father’s Justice, His plan of revelation and salvation–very quietly and very
effectively.
20. According to many Fathers, including St. Augustine and St. Jerome, the
bruised reed and the smoldering wick refer to the Jewish people. They also stand
for every sinner, for our Lord does not seek the sinner’s death but his conversion,
and his life (cf. Ezekiel 33:11). The Gospels often bear witness to this reassuring
truth (cf. Luke 15:11-32), the parable of the prodigal son; Matthew 18:12-24, the
parable of the lost sheep; etc.).
From an online Irish commentary