This is Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Hope. We are encouraged to be Pilgrims of Hope amidst the traumatic global events of war, climate change, political swings and poverty and injustice that currently confront us.
Currently we are all concerned about the war in Ukraine, in the Middle East and elsewhere. We do not know the eventual outcome, but I believe we must have hope and pray.
Hope, we know, is more than optimism and being positive, important as those states of mind are, and easier for some than others. Hope comes from deep faith that ultimately “All will be well”, as Julian of Norwich believed and shared from her mystical experiences.
Recently I was with a 90 year old woman who was deeply asleep. She awoke and immediately said with a smile, “All will be well.” She is bed bound and, to the onlooker, now apparently leads a very restricted, limited life. What an amazing proclamation to have made when she awoke! I experienced this as an example of mature, graced hope and a great reminder to me and others. We must never underestimate older people..!
Easter is the pinnacle of hope for Christians, who believe that Jesus was resurrected from death following his crucifixion.
We are redeemed and part of God’s eternal plan. After the terrible pain and anguish of Holy Week, Christ, has risen from the dead and is full of transformed life. He appears a number of times to his followers before Pentecost fifty days later when they receive the Holy Spirit and are given the gifts and strength to carry on Jesus’ work of spreading the Word and transforming peoples’ lives. We are encouraged in 2025 to carry on His work, using our Spirit-given gifts and experience to live and share the Word, with each other, now and every day. This can be in small, quiet ways as well as more publicly. We can pray for each other.
When I was asked to write a Reflection for Easter and Pentecost time it was January. This time frame is not unusual. I immediately agreed to write it. Usually I write something quite quickly. But not this time. Why?
I have realised now the delay was to do with me and life events. I was going through a challenging time. I was recovering from planned surgery that I had waited for a long time and also coping with a recent house move. I knew these were the reasons for my writing something: but also why I had to sit with the changes in my life and ‘the now’ of January before thinking ahead to the opening up and hope of the Easter Message.
This was the reason for my delay…the liturgical journey after Jesus’ birth in Christmastide is to travel with him through his daily life of teachings, signs and miracles, and then Lent, through his wilderness experience, his experience of rejection, suffering and crucifixion towards Resurrection. Although I make this liturgical journey every year, this time it has been different.
I have had to learn to walk again. I have felt pain and had the temporary experience of not driving, and needing to rely more on others’ help and kindness. I have had to let go of the family home with three sets of stairs and the stress of selling it These are experiences shared by many older people. I have had the support of family and friends and my situation is temporary, but it has not been easy. However, I also constantly feel grateful I do not live in the rubble of Gaza or Mariupol, or as a refugee on a long journey from war, drought or persecution.
I realise that the Pope’s Jubilee Year of Hope is here at the right time for me – and I suggest for all of us – as it emphasises the importance of hope and kindness. Pope Francis talked on a Radio 4 Today Programme, Thought for the Day, at the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Hope in December 2024. Several times he emphasised the importance of hope with kindness. He said “I hope that during this Jubilee we can practise kindness as a form of love to connect with others.” I think in our daily lives, trying to live as Pilgrims of Hope kindness can be part of the Jubilee “glue” in our family, parish and community that particularly older people can offer. It can be contagious and can “stick”!
Life is full of hope and challenge, ups and downs. Over the years my morning prayer has morphed into offering everything that happens during daily life that is good and bad, the hopeless and hopeful:
“Today I offer You the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the boring and the mad”.
It encompasses everything. It seems to me that God makes use of our negative experiences and challenges as well as the positives and blessings we are given.
There is hope…May we all at Eastertide work together with hope and kindness and offer our Gifts to each other at Pentecost as we try to be Pilgrims of Hope and Kindness.
Pippa Bonner
Easter 2025
