Today, our world is marked by hatred, violence, and war and dominated by autocratic leaders successfully leveraging globalisation and technology to promote populism, polarisation, and post-truth (Moises Naim, 2023: The Revenge of Power), yet there remains a deep longing for peace and justice among peoples. Where can we find hope given the widespread and systemic structures that suppress our efforts to find peace and justice in our world?
It is providential that Pope Francis declared 2025 as the Jubilee Year with its overarching theme of “hope”. This theme is reflected in the opening words of the Bull of Indiction, entitled “Spes non confundit. Hope does not disappoint.” Pope Francis, in his introduction to the Bull, says,
“Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future will bring.”
During Easter, Christians are challenged to live up to their calling to be an “Easter people,” God’s people who live in hope because we believe in the Risen Jesus, who has already conquered death and overcome sin. “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). Thus, Pope Francis encourages us to be bold and be “pilgrims of hope,” walking and journeying together with joy in our hearts towards a world where peace and justice await all. And is this not also what synodality is all about? In the Synod on Synodality’s Final Document #28, it says, “In simple and concise terms, synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more participatory and missionary so that it can walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ.”
May Christ’s Easter light show us the way—as we walk together, listen to and trust each other amid our differences—and transform us and the world to become part of the building of His kingdom of peace and justice. May the joy of the Risen Christ be with us all! +AMDG+
Image: “A layered 3D pop-up of the resurrection of Jesus holding the standard of the cross, evoking hope in the viewer, with a background of the tomb,” image generated by Adobe Photoshop 2025, 15 April 2025.
