“I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10) Today, personally and together, ‘We must listen to the cry of the poor, make it our own, find out what it is in our society that causes injustice and poverty, and confront our awareness with the demands of the Gospel and the Church’s social teaching’. (Rule of Life 18)
At the call of Pope Francis and according to his vision, expressed in the encyclical “Laudato Si’” on the care of our “Common Home” we recognise the urgency of hearing and responding to this cry, to embrace and implement the goals proposed in ‘Laudato Si’ for an integral ecological conversion. (Gen Chap ’21)
Jubilee Year of Hope declared by Pope Francis, emphasized the significance of hope in our lives and mission. Hope is one of the three theological virtues, that is intimately linked to faith and charity. Hope gives the feeling that some desire will be fulfilled. It is about focusing one’s expectation on someone or on something. Hope allows people to approach problems with a mindset and a strategy suitable to achieve success.
Reflections
Global Inequality/Transformation: The human environment and the natural environment are deteriorating together. The deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: ‘Daily experience and scientific research show that it is the poor who suffer most from the most serious effects of all environmental aggressions’ (Laudato Si’ 48). For example, the depletion of fish stocks particularly affects small fishing communities that do not have the means to replace these resources; water pollution particularly affects the poor who cannot buy bottled water… Hope urges us to transform the world and make it a better place, as Saint Paul reminds us: ‘Be sensible men, making the most of the present time, for the days are evil’ (Eph 5:16).
Human liberation and salvation. Christian hope is the impulse to change the world from the perspective of God’s creative plan and saving objectives. The invitation to transform the world is a challenge to reform society and create better living conditions for human beings, especially the poor, the disadvantaged and the destitute. Pope Francis believes that ‘a true ecological approach is always transformed into a social approach’; it must integrate questions of justice into the debate on the environment, in order to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor (LS 49) “The rich and the needy are joined together; the Lord has made them both”. (Prov 22,2)
‘Particular attention should be paid to all those who find themselves in particularly difficult situations, who are aware of their own weaknesses and limitations, especially those affected by illnesses or disabilities that severely restrict their personal independence and freedom. The attention given to them is a hymn to human dignity, a song of hope that calls for the harmonious participation of society as a whole. The attention given to them is a hymn to human dignity, a song of hope that calls for the harmonious participation of society as a whole’. (Hope does not disappoint, no. 11 – Letter of Pope Francis for the 2025 Jubilee of the Catholic Church).
Actions.
Pay attention to the following areas in our missionary work:
– Pastoral care
– Awareness campaigns
– Pray for those most affected by climate change, those living in poverty, the children of future generations who will pay the price of our selfishness today, farmers whose livelihoods are destroyed by seasonal changes in climate.
– Visit the elderly in hospital or the abandoned.
Concluding remarks
We are called to be beacons of light and hope We must be bridge-builders by being the voice of the voiceless and, through us, hope can be given back to those without hope.
We pray.
To conclude our reflection on this sacred space, I would like to end with the words of prayer of Pope Francis: ‘… Let us allow ourselves to be drawn to hope today and let it become contagious through us, for those who desire it. May our life say to them ‘Hope in the Lord, be strong and take courage; hope in the Lord’ (Ps 27:14). May the power of hope fill our present in confident expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and glory, now and for ever’. (Hope does not disappoint. n° 25 – Pope Francis)
Lent: week 2
Pilgrimage of hope for creation
Laudato Si’ Commission: Sister Justina AKUBO – Nigeria
