Daily Meditation for January 14, 2025

Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee Year and has chosen the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” With all the difficult situations in our life, in the church and in the world, it seems impossible to be people of hope. Hope is not a Pollyanna way of facing difficult and impossible situations. Rather, hope is a deep conviction that God is here among us bringing about love, joy and peace. God can and God is bringing about outcomes that make life better. Hope is living with the conviction that good things come from difficult situations. Hope is expecting and waiting for the future God intends for all creation—a future where we live together in love, joy and peace. People who live in hope become radiant with joy. So, let us walk through 2025 as pilgrims of hope believing Jesus’ words, “Fear not, I am with you always.”

By Marlene Meierhofer, OSB