The Deacon

Without a doubt, it’s the most popular four-letter word in Catholicism right now.

Hope.

With the historic Holy Year upon us, we hear again and again references to the theme of this Jubilee, calling on all of us to be “pilgrims of hope.” That little word shows up in conferences, book titles, pamphlets and essays. There is no escaping it. Nor should there be! If nothing else, this theme is a call to Catholics everywhere to rediscover a virtue that is often lost in our cynical, anxious age.

We need to hope.

Pope Francis made that clear when he announced the Holy Year in 2024: “Everyone knows what it is to hope,” he wrote. “In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope” (Spes Non Confundit, No. 1).

So what does that mean for us as deacons?

There’s a lot to be said for how we live as ministers of hope — baptizing newborns, witnessing marriages, serving at shelters or in prisons, being a presence at hospitals and food pantries, seeking with every blessing that is offered and every hand that is held to convey something elusive but real.

But how can we do that from the pulpit? This year offers us a beautiful opportunity to be not only ministers of hope, but also preachers of hope.

Every homily offers us a chance to announce good news — to declare the Gospel message of hope. There is no better time than now, during the Holy Year, to proclaim that frequently and joyfully. (You might even make a habit of it: Consider a homily series on the subject of hope, stretching across three or four weeks, or a night of reflection on the subject at your parish.)

So where do we begin? Let me propose three ideas that can help make hope more than a vague idea or a lofty ecclesiastical theme. Among other things, preaching hope means preaching reconciliation, preaching redemption and preaching resurrection.

Reconciliation

First, we can begin by preaching reconciliation. This is a topic that understandably gets attention during Lent. But reconciliation, whether with God or with our neighbor, is needed in every season; it is woven into the fabric of our faith. It is a welcome and enduring testament to hope — and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, confession, can serve to bring renewal and regeneration to even the most broken and desperate heart.

“This experience of full forgiveness,” Pope Francis wrote in Spes Non Confundit, “cannot fail to open our hearts and minds to the need to forgive others in turn. Forgiveness does not change the past; it cannot change what happened in the past, yet it can allow us to change the future and to live different lives, free of anger, animosity and vindictiveness. Forgiveness makes possible a brighter future, which enables us to look at the past with different eyes, now more serene, albeit still bearing the trace of past tears” (No. 23 ).

Encourage the faithful to take advantage of this sacrament often, and to see it as one more pathway we travel together as pilgrims of hope.

Redemption

Second, we should never tire of preaching redemption, especially a key part of that: God’s all-embracing love for a human race he was eager to save.

I still remember vividly the words an aging pastor gave to a classmate of mine as he prepared to preach at his Mass of thanksgiving after his ordination as a deacon. “Just remember this,” the pastor said, “remember to tell the people God loves them.” It was the simplest advice in the world. But it was priceless and timeless.

We live in a time when too many people believe they are unloved or, worse, unlovable, incapable of being redeemed. Reassuring them of God’s boundless love — the kind of love that would send his Son into the world to be bruised, pierced, scorned and rejected, to share in our own hardships and sufferings — all of that expresses God’s closeness to us.

Reminding people of what God gave for us, and what he did for us, reaffirms just how much he loves all of his children — and what Christ’s own suffering, death and resurrection made possible.

“We are all called to witness and proclaim the message that ‘God is love,’ that God isn’t far and insensitive to our human affairs,” Pope Francis said. “He is close to us, always beside us, walking with us to share our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and our struggles. He loves us very much, and for that reason he became man, he came into the world not to condemn it, but so the world would be saved through Jesus. And this is the love of God in Jesus, this love that is so difficult to understand, but that we feel when we draw close to Jesus. And he always forgives us, he always awaits us, he loves us so much. And we feel the love of Jesus and the love of God” (Angelus, June 15, 2014).

Resurrection

Which leads to the third idea: preaching resurrection. In times of grief, anxiety or despair, we need this reminder: Death doesn’t have the last word.

The greatest event of our faith assures us simply that every Good Friday is followed by Easter. Christ’s own passion reminds us that something else awaits us.

Pope Francis said as much in his 2024 message for World Day of Care of Creation: “Jesus has risen from the dead. This is our great hope: God’s love has triumphed and continues to triumph over everything. Indeed, even in the face of physical death, future glory is already assured for those who live the new life of the Spirit” (No. 1 ).

Hope prevails.

If you need more ideas or reading to spark inspiration, look no further than the collected writings of the man I quote here: Pope Francis. His homilies, reflections, encyclicals and apostolic exhortations touch on this theme often. (Is it any wonder he chose this theme for the Holy Year?)

Of course, not every Sunday and not every Gospel will lend itself to shouting from the rooftops, “Hope!” But we should seek out opportunities during this Jubilee to find seeds of possibility, of wonder, of renewal, of hope in God’s Good News. This is one more way that we serve the people of God and make clear a powerful virtue of our faith.

As a familiar hymn tells us, “We are pilgrims on the journey, we are travelers on the road.” Faithful, trusting Christians set out on that journey with a backpack full of hope. This Holy Year, how can we help them along the way?

DEACON GREG KANDRA is the creator of “The Deacon’s Bench” blog and the author of “Befriending St. Joseph” (Ave Maria Press, $13.95).