# Love Is the Answer: Walking in Praise with Pope Francis
*2015-09-29*

> Bill Young reflects on Pope Francis’ message that love is the force for change, pondering the power of unconditional love and offering a prayer to share that love with all of God’s family.

## Pope Francis on Love as a Transforming Force

In today’s episode we continue our series “Walking in Praise with Pope Francis.” Pope Francis speaks warmly of God’s love—a love that is pure and unconditional. He urges us to believe in its power to transform us, opening our eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters everywhere. In sharing that love, we are called to care for one another and to work toward rebuilding our common home so that all may find safety in God’s creation. God promises to be with us in this work.

## Pondering Unconditional Love

Do we really understand the power of unconditional love? Have we truly known it in our own lives? Bill invites listeners to reflect on these questions, asking us to consider how love moves us to serve others, especially those we have never met, because we are all part of God’s family.

## A Prayer for Love to Overflow

God of creation, fill me with your love so that I may joyfully and lavishly share it with others—even those I have never met. For we are all members of your family, and your love is all‑encompassing.

## Everyday Examples of Unconditional Love

One vivid illustration of unconditional love comes from our own pets. Many of us have dogs who love us without condition. Bill recalls a sad story of a dog who, after being shot while protecting his owner, continued to wag his tail and look at his master with love until his last breath. That heartbreaking scene reveals the depth of unconditional love, a love that God extends to all of his children.

*Love, when truly lived out, becomes the force that guides us to bring about the change our world so desperately needs.*