Summary of Catechesis:

Dear brothers and sisters, in our continuing catechesis on the Jubilee theme of “Christ our Hope,” today we consider the freedom and determination shown by Jesus at the moment of his arrest in the Garden of Olives.  Our Lord approaches his coming passion freely and consciously, in obedience to the will of the Father and as an act of redemptive love.  In this way, he reveals the essence of true hope: the firm conviction that even in the midst of violence, injustice and suffering, God’s love is ever present as a source of spiritual fruitfulness and the promise of eternal life.  The way that Jesus exercised his freedom in the face of death teaches us not to fear suffering, but to persevere in confident trust in God’s providential care.  May our lives always be marked by this hope, born of the knowledge that if we surrender to God’s will and freely give our lives in love for others, the Father’s grace will sustain us in every trial and enable us to bear abundant fruit for the salvation of our brothers and sisters.

Greeting:

I am happy to welcome, this morning, the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, especially those from England, Ireland, Scotland, Malta, South Africa, Indonesia, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Canada and the United States of America.  With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Hope may be for you and your families a time of grace and spiritual renewal, I invoke upon you all the joy and the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.