Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Kathleen Murphy offers a Just Gospel post on the coming Jubilee Year of theme of being Pilgrims of Hope while reminding us to pray with Pope Francis for the Synod. (Images-Sister Marie-Kolbe Zamora, Rome)
As we travel a month closer to our own Chapter and also the Jubilee Year, we are reminded of the theme for both these events so valued by the Church, namely to be Pilgrims of Hope. Christopher Brolly, S.J. writes in his blog InFormation:
There is a difference between being a pilgrim and being a tourist:
- A tourist goes sight-seeing and focuses on the sights around them, a pilgrim sets out to discover themselves.
- A tourist travels to have a break from their daily life and escape who they normally are, a pilgrim travels to find out who they truly are.
- A tourist grows their collection of photographs and souvenirs, a pilgrim grows in love of Jesus.
These insights help us to reflect on what our Community and the Church are calling us to be in choosing the theme for Chapter and the Jubilee Year. We are to discover our truest self and to grow in love of Jesus. What baggage are we to bring along? Well, surely the theme reminds us to bring a solid sense of hope on this pilgrimage. Our faith in a Risen Lord and in a Church that is His Body and a Community that is approved by this Church can only lead us to unpack that virtue of hope as we journey.
The Taize community says: Biblical and Christian hope does not mean living in the clouds, dreaming of a better life. It is not merely a projection of what we would like to be or do. It leads us to discover seeds of a new world already present today. This hope is, in addition, a source of energy to live differently, not according to the values of a society based on the thirst for possession and competition.
But such a hope is not the only item to be in our proverbial knapsack. We also need to be accompanied by a listening ear and heart. These come from the tool box of a synodal Church, the subject of the Holy Father’s October intention: That the church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
Though the Synod will conclude its meetings this month, it does not mean that the call for a synodal spirit is over. In his homily at the closing of the Synod in October of 2023, Pope Francis said, Brothers and sisters, the General Assembly of the Synod has now concluded. In this “conversation of the Spirit,” we have experienced the loving presence of the Lord and discovered the beauty of fraternity. We have listened to one another and above all, in the rich variety of our backgrounds and concerns, we have listened to the Holy Spirit. Today we do not see the full fruit of this process, but with farsightedness we look to the horizon opening up before us. The Lord will guide us and help us to be a more synodal and missionary Church, a Church that adores God and serves the women and men of our time, going forth to bring to everyone the consoling joy of the Gospel.
October is the month in which we celebrate our Franciscanism and thus continue to celebrate the miracle of the Stigmata of St. Francis. Francis was the man of the Church, but also a man of dreams. Pope Francis addresses this quality as he continues in the homily quoted above, This is the Church we are called to “dream”: a Church that is the servant of the least of our brothers and sisters. A Church that welcomes, serves, loves and forgives. A Church with open doors that is a haven of mercy. This same Church also runs to meet those who suffer in the image of our Crucified Lord. With them may we claim a share in the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ and strive to renew our spirit of listening to the voice of the Spirit forming the future of our Church.
