The Diocese of Honolulu’s Jubilee cross stands in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. The diocese also has a traveling cross that will be brought to parishes throughout the year. (Courtesy Anthony Selvanathan)
By Anthony Selvanathan
Special to the Herald
Happy New Year to the dear readers of the Hawaii Catholic Herald. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, recently inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025, with the theme “Spes Non Confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), drawn from the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
I believe the Holy Father was wise in choosing hope as the theme for this Jubilee Year, especially when we look around and see so many recent tragedies.
Whether it’s the Aliamanu fireworks tragedy on New Year’s Eve, the death of a Honolulu firefighter Jan. 6 in a house fire in McCully, the wildfires that have destroyed swaths of Southern California or the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel in the Holy Land, hope is a virtue that the world desperately needs.
If we examine our personal experiences, it’s not unusual for us to go through “seasons of hopelessness” ourselves in our own day-to-day lives. We might be caring for a loved one who is ill, managing conflict and discord within the family or facing other internal struggles; amid it all, we are constantly reminded of the importance and need for hope.
The Holy Spirit shines the light of hope into the lives of all believers. Rooted in the paschal mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are called to remember that Christ conquered death itself. Just as he rose to new life, so too shall we overcome the obstacles and challenges that come our way.
Pope Francis reminds us that a virtue that goes hand in hand with hope is patience. Patience can be a difficult virtue to embrace, as we live in a world that is filled with instant gratification and a culture that surrounds itself on social media and the latest viral trends.
One passage that I often remind myself of, especially with the dawning of this Jubilee of Hope, is Ecclesiastes 3:1 — “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.”
The start of a new year often brings with it New Year’s resolutions — goals like getting in shape, choosing a better diet, starting a new hobby or finding other ways to improve ourselves. Perhaps we could apply this idea to the Jubilee Year as well — “Jubilee Year resolutions.”
While many of us may not have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Rome during this Jubilee Year, I challenge all of us to be bearers of hope. How can we share the light of Christ with one another? How can we uplift our brothers and sisters in the human family who are suffering or living on society’s margins and fill them with Christ’s hope?
Maybe this looks like volunteering at a parish food pantry or soup kitchen, reaching out to an elderly relative or friend, or simply offering a smile to a stranger.
As witnesses to Jesus, may we be inspired to be beacons of hope, sharing the light of Christ with others as we celebrate this Jubilee Year.
