Pope Francis invites the faithful to transform hope into gestures of love
In his message for Lent, Papa Francesco invites the faithful to transform hope into gestures of love, together with prayer and liturgical and sacramental life. It highlights the importance of the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist, which are at the heart of our conversion process. By receiving God's forgiveness, we too become spreaders of forgiveness, through the ability to have thoughtful dialogue and behavior that comforts those who are hurt.
During the Lent, Pope Francis urges us to use the words for to encourage, comfort, strengthen and stimulate others, rather than to humiliate, sadden, irritate or scorn. Sometimes, to give hope, just being a person is enough kind who care for others, putting aside personal worries and urgencies to pay attention and give a smile, a word of stimulus or a listening space.
The hope that does not disappoint
A testimony of hope is reported by Cardinal Spidlik during a conference on "Hope that does not disappoint". He tells the story story of a nun who was treating a very suffering cancer patient. Although the patient stated that God did not exist, because if that were the case, she would not have been in those conditions, the nun continued to treat her silently.
One day, the patient suddenly declared that God must exist. The nun asked her how she had come to this conclusion and the patient replied that good what was done to her could not be lost. This statement highlights that every true good we do has an eternal value and it is the object of Christian hope. The Eucharistic sacrifice, where we offer our lives as bread on the altar and receive the same reward, symbolizes our resurrection together with Christ. Even the little things of every day can become great in eternity.
The Pope also reminds us of the contribution of Saint Teresa of Lisieux, who discovered that the only true good is love and that this can be realized in the little things of everyday life. These small actions have eternal value and are hope for us too.