Becoming Missionaries of Hope

Some Reflections as We Approach the Conclusion of the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025, Year of Hope by Fr. Juvelan Paul N. Samia, SDB

The Mission of Witnessing to Hope begins with Prayer

The late Pope Francis designated the year 2024 as a “Year of Prayer” in preparation for the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025. In a letter dated February 11, 2022, addressed to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, the Holy Father expressed his wish that the year preceding the Jubilee be dedicated to a great “symphony of prayer.” He wanted the entire Church to rediscover the longing to stand in the presence of the Lord, to listen to Him, and to adore Him. On January 21, 2024, during the fifth annual celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God, Pope Francis officially inaugurated the Year of Prayer with the theme, “Teach us to pray” (cf. Lk 11:1).

The 2025 Ordinary Jubilee, with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” began on December 24, 2024, when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. In the Bull of Indiction Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), he emphasized the world’s deep yearning for peace amid escalating violence and conflict. Prayer, he insisted, is the Christian response to evil. The Venerable Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, who spent 13 years in prison, with nine of those years spent in solitary confinement, because of his faith, once wrote, "The person who hopes is a person who prays." (cf. The Road to Hope, Meditation 1).

Only a few months after the Jubilee celebrations began, Pope Francis left for our heavenly homeland. The Church then received a new shepherd, Pope Leo XIV. In his homily in the Crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 11, 2025—three days after his election—he reflected on the necessity of prayer: "It is very important to listen to the voice of the lord, to listen to it in this dialogue, and to see where the Lord is calling us towards."

𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 “𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫” 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

As we approach the conclusion of the Jubilee of Hope, 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀 that we can intentionally cultivate during these last remaining weeks to confirm the meaningfulness of the celebration: 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀.

CONVERSION AS A PREREQUISITE TO A HEALTHY PRAYER LIFE

Personal conversion is the necessary first step toward a healthy prayer life. Sin is a block to prayer; conversion is the removal of that block. When we struggle to see God’s presence in our lives or hear His voice, the first honest examination we must make is “whether we are living in a state of sin.”

We must decide—clearly and without hesitation—whether we truly desire to be disciples of the Risen Lord. The prophet Elijah confronted the Israelites with the same challenge: "How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him, if Baal, follow him." (1 Kgs 18:21). We cannot call ourselves authentic disciples while obstinately clinging to sin or to the idols of our age: money, power, popularity, or even self-centeredness.

When we encounter God’s mercy, we are moved to respond in faith. God calls us closer to Himself, and that call demands that we turn away from anything that draws us away from Him. A sincere sacramental confession, coupled with concrete and achievable resolutions, becomes an unmistakable sign of this first good fruit of the Jubilee: personal conversion.

COMMITMENT TO REGULAR PRAYER

The transforming experience of God’s grace, received especially through confession, reaches into the ordinary moments of daily life through prayer. A renewed commitment to prayer is the second good fruit of the Jubilee. The yearlong celebration is meant to strengthen our desire to cultivate a daily rhythm of personal prayer and mediation. I use the word rhythm to highlight the importance of regularity.

Prayer deserves a place on our daily schedule so that we pray not only when we feel inspired, but also when we feel dry, tired, or distracted. We pray not only when we gave the time; instead, we make time for prayer.

Meditation is essential because it is the moment we listen honestly to God. If prayer is a dialogue, then we speak to God when we give Him praise and thanks and lift-up our petitions, but we listen to Him when we meditate, especially on His Word.

Commitment to regular prayer might also involve initiating a regular rhythm of family prayer, as well as committing to attend Sunday Mass together as a family.

In prayer, we encounter the nearness of God which strengthens and sustains our mission of hope.

COURARGE AND GENEROTSITY IN DOING GOOD WORKS Prayer, when authentic, becomes visible in good works, in our pursuit of justice, in our efforts to build peace, and, in the Philippine context today, in our responsible political participation. This is the third good fruit of the Jubilee.

The darkness around us may feel overwhelming, but because we are anchored in hope, we continue to act courageously and generously, doing whatever good we can! Christian hope keeps us from surrendering to darkness. It reminds us that we cannot foresee the full impact of the seeds of goodness we plant today but God can, and so we must continue to do good.

Filipinos are widely recognized as a kind and compassionate people. We are always quick to offer help to those in need. Yet the widespread corruption in our society, which now threatens to become embedded in our culture, calls us not only to acts of charity but also to the pursuit of justice. We are called to give each person, especially the poor, the vulnerable, and the powerless, what is due to them. As St. Pope Paul VI taught, “If you want peace, work for justice” (Message for the World Day of Peace, 1972). Without justice, a true and lasting peace cannot flourish.

Today, more than ever, we must take seriously our responsibility to participant in political life as a concrete expression of political charity. Pope Francis teaches in Fratelli Tutti that political charity is among the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good (cf. Fratelli Tutti, 180). Christian engagement in the political and social life of our nation is not optional; today, it is the way that we must take to glorify God and serve our neighbor.

At this critical moment in our history, we are called to bring the light of the Gospel into the darkened realms of Philippine politics and governance.

𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔.

TANGIBLE SIGNS OF HOPE When he opened the Jubilee, the late Pope Francis invited all the faithful 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 “𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞” during this Jubilee Year and beyond. I am convinced that if we intentionally strive for these three fruits—𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬—we will respond faithfully and generously to the Holy Father’s invitation and challenge.

May the Jubilee’s concluding weeks find us renewed in spirit, steadfast in faith and charity, and committed to becoming true missionaries of hope for our Church, for our nation, and for the global community of nations.

Luce fanart by HikariNiji