Lent During the Holy Year of Hope:
Uncovering Signs of Hope – Becoming Beacons of Hope
The Second Week of Lent:
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? (Ps. 17:1)
In Spes Non Confundit or “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), the Papal Bull that officially established the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, Pope Francis invites us on the one hand to uncover signs of hope in our world and on the other hand to become “tangible signs of hope for those sisters and brothers who experience hardships of any kind.” Recognizing that the lives of too many people are marked by darkness and despair, this Lenten Season is an opportunity for us to extend light and hope to people who experience different kinds of hardships. In Spes Non Confundit the Pope asks us to extend kindness to all those who are sick, either at home or in hospital.
Three days before Pope Francis was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, on February 11, the Pope released his message for the 33rd World Day of the Sick.. With this message, Pope Francis assured all of us, but especially those of us who are sick that “the risen Lord goes so far as to walk beside us as our companion on the way, even as he did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-53).” Like them, the pope stated “we can share with him our anxieties, concerns and disappointments, and listen to his word, which enlightens us and warms our hearts.”
After having spent several weeks in hospital, Pope Francis wrote in early March how he had discovered “the blessing of frailty” because it is precisely in moments of frailty “that we learn even more to trust in the Lord.” He also mentioned that he thanked God for giving him “the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people.”
Then, during his Angelus message on the first Sunday of Lent he wrote that during his prolonged hospitalization he experienced “the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers.” He also called for a “miracle of tenderness which accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain.”
During this second week of Lent let’s pray for our sisters and brothers who are sick and suffering and allow for the miracle of tenderness to happen through the three disciplines of Lent.
- Abstinance (fasting):
Famous anthropologist Margaret Mead believed that the first sign of civilization was not art but a healed human femur. This healed femur was proof that someone cared for a person in need. According to Mead, empathy for others is the origin and foundation of human civilization. For us Christians, empathy is not just a choice it is an absolute mandate. Therefore, as followers of the one for whom empathy was at the heart of his ministry, let us abstain from any thought that minimizes the importance of empathy and reject any suggestion that empathy is a weakness for empathy is the exact opposite, it is our strength.
- Appeal (prayer):
The Gospel of the second Sunday of Lent invites us to listen to what Jesus says and to gaze upon his transfigured brilliance. Deep listening to the Word of God is essential to our spiritual life. Gazing upon the transfigured Christ “purifies our eyes and prepares them for the vision of heaven” according to Pope Francis in a meditation of the Transfiguration. “Perhaps,” he wrote, “our eyes are a little sick because we see so many things that are not of Jesus, things that are even against Jesus: worldly things, things that do not benefit the light of the soul. And in this way, this light is slowly extinguished, and without knowing it, we end up in spiritual darkness.” Therefore, during this second week of Lent, let us open our heart to the Word of God and fix our eyes on the transfigured Christ who brings light and hope in our darkened world.
- Action (almsgiving):
In a message, released Jan. 13, Pope Francis posited that “from the beginning, God, who is love, created us for communion and endowed us with an innate capacity to enter into relationship with others.” In his 1996 book, Called to Communion, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote that by participation in the celebration of the Eucharist we enter into “a deep communion of existence.” This profound sense of communion is a strong antidote to the many dark forces in our society which needs healing.
Because we are all bound to one another, let us reach out to our sisters and brothers who are sick and to their loved ones with gestures of kindness and care. We can offer a promise of prayer, prepare a meal, pay a visit. There are so many small ways to show people who are sick that they are loved.
And when we ourselves are ill or a loved one is sick, Pope Francis invites us “to learn how to cherish the gentle smile of a nurse, the caring face of a doctor or volunteer, or the anxious and expectant look of a spouse, a child, a grandchild or a dear friend. All these are rays of light to be treasured; even amid the dark night of adversity, they give us strength, while at the same time teaching us the deeper meaning of life, in love and closeness.”
And please remember to be patient with yourself. Lent is neither an endurance test nor a demonstration of Christian heroism. Instead, it is a period for reflection on the core aspects of our faith and mend our lives accordingly. It is important to proceed at a manageable pace and to be patient with yourself and others.
Johan van Parys, PhD
Managing Director of Ministries/ Director of Liturgy & Sacred Arts