A selfless pilgrimage
Christian hope does not disappoint.” There is no doubt that almost every Catholic in the universal Church has either heard or read those words at some point during this holy year. For lack of a better description, it feels as if it has been the jubilee year’s battle cry. Frankly though, when I first heard it, my simpleton mind needed something more. Staying true to the stereotype that Catholics aren’t “brushed up on Scripture,” I admit I was a bit surprised to find out those words were actually taken from the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Christian hope does not disappoint.” There is no doubt that almost every Catholic in the universal Church has either heard or read those words at some point during this holy year. For lack of a better description, it feels as if it has been the jubilee year’s battle cry. Frankly though, when I first heard it, my simpleton mind needed something more. Staying true to the stereotype that Catholics aren’t “brushed up on Scripture,” I admit I was a bit surprised to find out those words were actually taken from the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
“Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” St. Paul writes, “so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
In short, Adam’s disobedience sealed our fate as sinners, but Christ’s obedience made eternal life possible through His sacrifice. This, of course, is something we all know and believe.
When framed in the context of hope, though, it would be wise to revisit Pope Francis’ papal bull announcing the holy year. “In the heart of each person,” the Holy Father writes, “hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”
For those who believe, what the late pontiff points out may be a concept never given much thought because it is taken for granted as a certainty, but for some, Christian hope is not only out of reach but completely foreign.
In light of that reality, it seems fitting that the poor and the imprisoned will be acknowledged by Pope Leo XVI in these last two months of Jubilee 2025. Life for many in these two groups can be challenging, disappointing, and downright brutal, but an even greater number of people work tirelessly as “pilgrims of hope” because they have chosen to make their personal pilgrimage as a follower of Christ an invitation to those in despair to join in the journey.
Oftentimes, though, those selfless and dedicated “pilgrims” go unseen, so breaking with tradition, this issue’s cover story highlights a number of groups sharing the hope of Christ to those in need of material and spiritual sustenance. The volunteers of these organizations, as Bishop Raica notes, “live differently — they live for Christ and for one another.”
As this jubilee comes to a close, may we all continue to foster hope in our hearts, living differently, not only for ourselves but for each and every one of our brothers and sisters.