After the Flood the biblical Noah won God's goodwill, for "the Lord smelled the pleasing odor" (Genesis 8 21) of the tasty flesh and fowl offered up to him.
In July he suggested a more permissive attitude towards gay couples, remarking that it was not up to him to make judgements on the sexual orientation of clergy as long as they were searching for God and had goodwill.
And it made even those of us who don't believe in a God think that "goodwill on earth" was an awful lot to aim for, but that there was quite a lot to be said for a bit more peace.
Speaking to journalists during his flight back to Rome, he made conciliatory remarks about homosexuality, saying that "If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?" See articleUruguay took a big step towards becoming the first country in Latin America to legalise and regulate the production and sale of marijuana when the lower house of its Congress passed a bill to do so.
He said it was not up to him to judge about the sexual orientation of clergy as long as they were searching for God and had goodwill.
Francis earlier created headlines by saying it was not up to him to judge about the sexual orientation of clergy as long as they were searching for God and had goodwill.
He is the first pontiff to have used the word "gay" in public, and last year told journalists: "If a person seeks God and has goodwill, then who am I to judge?" Not everyone has welcomed the report.
It is a symbolism that resonates with Hindus like me who like to remember, amidst the deep devotion and love we feel for one of our most powerful and mysterious forms of God, that our goodwill remains as strong for other forms and names of God too, even those given by people of "other" faiths.
Day by day they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
It comes from goodwill and God's plan and yours being activated in agreement--put into action: actualized as you progress.
