As many of you know, a new jubilee year began this past December. Dating back to the year 1300, every twenty-five years, Catholics celebrate in a more intentional way the great love and mercy of God. This is an opportunity for renewal in our own lives, our families, our parish, and throughout the Catholic Church. Several months ago, Pope Francis announced the theme for the jubilee year: Pilgrims of Hope. What does it mean to live and walk in hope? We are Christians whose hope is always rooted firmly in the Lord, and we know by faith that hope placed in God will not disappoint, no matter how challenging the circumstances that surround us. Hope is a virtue – a theological virtue – which means our hope is aided by God’s grace and goodness. If we open ourselves up to God in our life of faith – more and more, we see that we become – we live – and we walk as Pilgrims of Hope. This type of hope becomes infectious and attractive – it can truly be transformative.
Soon we will enter the great season of Lent, which is also a season of hope – we hope as we make this spiritual journey to the desert, that we will becomes less attached to sin and more like God. The season of Lent is a season of metanoia – which means a transformation of heart. I hope that we will all arrive at Easter more free, having died and risen with Christ. With theological imagination, we can ponder what that version of ourselves might look like – and I ponder how our parish would be further renewed as we are transformed in Christ.
In this latest edition of Basilica Connect, you will find many ways and programs through which you can immerse yourself and your families into our collective life of faith, while growing in your faith at the same time. Educational and spiritual opportunities abound at The Basilica. In a world that is too often darkened by sin, violence, and division, we are called to live and walk as Pilgrims of Hope – when we do, Christ becomes more visible and God’s love more tangible. Through this witness, others are drawn more deeply into the life and goodness of God.
Fr. Daniel Griffith, Pastor and Rector