Pope Francis dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to a crucial theme: hope. But what does it truly mean to hope today, in a world that often puts us to the test? Archbishop Bruno Forte, in his pastoral letter “The Hope That Saves,” offers us a profound and accessible reflection, perfect for someone like you who is in the prime of life and wondering about the future.
Love and hope: an unbreakable bond
Often, a lack of hope is a symptom of a deficiency in authentic love. But where does this need for hope come from? From an innate desire for love, an expectation that human experiences sometimes fail to satisfy, leading us to disillusionment. Accepting the challenge of hope means embracing our humanity, with all its frailties and aspirations. Giving up hope, ultimately, is like giving up on living fully. Bishop Forte, quoting Benedict XVI, states that “the present, even a difficult present, can be lived and accepted if it leads toward a goal and if we can be sure of that goal.”
Not all hope is the same
There are two types of hope:
• One based solely on our own strength, on our ability to change the world with our own hands. But beware! History teaches us that this path can lead to dangerous extremes, such as totalitarian regimes and genocides. Indeed, “hope entrusted solely to the human protagonist, embraced by ideological visions of the world, has in many cases descended into the hell of totalitarian regimes, genocides and solitude, in which the other was reduced to an adversary to be eliminated or simply a ‘moral stranger’ to be ignored.”
• The other, the Christian one, sees hope as a gift from God, something that comes to us from above. This hope is founded on Jesus Christ, on his first coming and on the expectation of his return. “Faith in the ‘already’ of the Lord's first coming is inseparable from the expectation of the ‘not yet’, when the Son will return on the last day and God's promises will be fully fulfilled”.
How to nourish hope every day
Bishop Forte shows us three concrete ways to cultivate hope in our lives:
Prayer: not simply a list of requests, but “the space in which - by allowing oneself to be loved by God - the heart opens to the surprises of His coming and becomes invocation, desire, expectation”.
Service: a concrete way to overcome our selfishness and open ourselves to others, loving our neighbor and allowing the Lord to guide us. It is the “concrete form of the exodus from oneself without return, which frees the heart and teaches it to love the other, allowing itself to be led by the Lord”.
God's judgment: not a punishment, but “the fire of truth that opens us to His future and reveals the emptiness of every choice or project based solely on the measures of our selfishness and fears”.
Mary, model of hope
Hope illuminates every aspect of our existence, encouraging us to do good, show charity, and seek the common good. Let us learn from Mary, a model of hope, and entrust ourselves to her with a prayer.
True hope is not an illusion, but a gift to be welcomed and lived every day. And these pages, with their depth and authentic tone, speak from heart to heart, as a shepherd would who looks his people in the eye, addressing each person personally.
If you haven't already, we recommend reading one of Bishop Bruno Forte's finest books.
And you, how do you live hope in your life of faith?
