Memorial acclamation, Roman Missal 1971 edition
The death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith and the basis of our hope. The Father’s love raised him in the power of the Spirit and made his humanity the first fruits of our eternal salvation. This eternal truth is the very reason for us to hope.
The year 2025 is the Jubilee of Hope. Pope Francis calls us to be pilgrims of hope, carrying the light of Christ on our journeys so that it might illuminate the places and situations we encounter along the way.
By the virtue of hope in which we were saved, we can view the passage of time with the certainty that the history of humanity and our own individual history are not doomed to a dead end or a dark abyss, but directed to an encounter with the Lord of glory.
The image of the anchor to symbolise hope is eloquent. It helps us to recognise the stability and security that is ours amid the troubled waters of this life, as long as we entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus. The storms that buffet us will never prevail, for we are firmly anchored in the hope born of grace, which enables us to live in Christ and to overcome sin, fear and death. This hope, which transcends life’s fleeting pleasures and the achievement of our immediate goals, makes us rise above our trials and difficulties and inspires us to keep pressing forward, never losing sight of the grandeur of the heavenly goal to which we have been called.
As we continue our sacred pilgrimage, may this grace-filled Jubilee Year be for us an opportunity to renew and strengthen our faith and hope. May the words of the Apostle Paul encourage us to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in prayer” (Rom 12:12).
Happy Easter to all! Maligayang Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay sa inyong lahat!
Monsignor Joselito Asis JCD is the Chaplain to the Filipino Catholics, Archdiocese of Melbourne.
