Today we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the Father in heaven.  During his 12-year pontificate he taught us through word and example to share the joy of the Gospel, to go to the peripheries of society and the world to care for the poor and marginalized, and he taught us of the need to care for the environment.  And most recently, he emphasized the need to be a synodal church which reaches out and values the contributions of many.  In recent days and weeks, he endured his own personal suffering with patience, and never lost his desire to be present to the flock he was called to shepherd.