It is my hope and prayer that this reflection finds all of us enjoying the graces of the Christmas season. These holy days are a beautiful time for us to rest in the presence of friends and family and recognize the greatest gifts we possess are not found in a store or online, but in the lives of those dearest to us and in the love God showers upon us in His Son, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.

We are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family this Sunday, but also celebrating the beginning of the Holy Year in which are called to be pilgrims of hope. Pope Francis has opened the Holy Door and invites us all, whether we can travel to Rome or not, to experience the blessings of the Holy Year by meditating upon the virtue of hope and how it can sustain us in difficult and challenging times.

The Holy Father’s Bull of Indiction (a fancy way of saying his letter declaring the Holy Year) entitled “Spes Non Confundit” (Hope Does Not Disappoint) offers a beautiful meditation on how we are called to be a hope-filled people in a world where hopelessness seems to be winning. The Holy Year challenges us to ask ourselves if we truly possess hope in our lives and invites us to increase this virtue by turning to God more completely in our lives.

We must remember that being hopeful does not mean that we will not experience difficulties or obstacles in our lives, but that we recognize the mercy and love of God even in the storms we may be facing. If we need some encouragement in this regard, I recommend reading and reflecting upon, not only “Spes Non Confundit,” but upon the Holy Father’s Encyclical Letter, Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us). This letter dedicated to increasing our love of and devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, reminds us so powerfully, much like Pope Benedict XVI’s Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), that we are hopeful because we know that God has a passionate and infinite love for each one of us. It is this eternal love, poured out upon in our lives of faith, and incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, which allows us to be hopeful, no matter what may be happening around us.

I had considered writing a much more detailed reflection on the Holy Year Letter and the Encyclical on the Sacred Heart, but I realized that it would be better if I simply encouraged us all to take the time to read them ourselves. Pope Francis’s style is down to earth and comforting. Like a true shepherd who loves his flock, he writes, not just to teach, but to encourage us all to entrust our lives more and more to the One who loves us most.

May this Holy Year help us all to become pilgrims of hope and ambassadors of hope, sharing with others that when we know the love of God poured out in the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have nothing to fear.

God alone suffices!

 

+John J. McDermott

Bishop of Burlington