Catechesis 9. To hope is to take a stand. Dorothy Day

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

For many of you, being in Rome today is the realization of a great desire. For those who undertake a pilgrimage and arrive at the destination, it is important to remember the moment of the decision. Something, at the beginning, moved within you, perhaps thanks to the word or invitation of someone else. In this way, the Lord Himself has taken us by the hand: a desire and then a decision. Without this, you would not be here. It is important to remember this.

What we heard in the Gospel a few moments ago is also important: “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more”. Jesus said it to his closest disciples, those with whom He stayed the most. And we too have received much from the journey we have made so far; we have been with Jesus and with the Church and, even though the Church is a community with human limitations, we have received a great deal. So, Jesus expects a lot of us. It is a sign of trust, a sign of friendship. He expects a lot because He knows us, and knows that we can do it!

Jesus came to bring fire: the fire of God’s love on earth and the fire of our hearts’ desire. In a certain way, Jesus takes away our peace, if we think of peace as inert calm. This, however, is not true peace. At times we would like to be “left in peace”: for no-one to disturb us, for others not to exist anymore. This is not God’s peace. The peace Jesus brings is like a fire, and it asks a lot of us. It asks us, first of all, to take a stand. Faced with injustice, inequality, where human dignity is trampled underfoot, where the fragile are silenced: take a stand. To hope is to take a stand. To hope is to understand in our hearts and show in our actions that things must not continue as before. This too is the good fire of the Gospel.

I would like to recall a small but great American woman, Dorothy Day, who lived in the last century. She had fire within. Dorothy Day took a stand. She saw that the development model of her country did not create the same opportunities for everyone; she understood that the dream was a nightmare for too many of them, that as a Christian she had to become involved with workers, migrants, those discarded by a deadly economy. She wrote and she served: it is important to unite the mind, the heart and the hands. This is what taking a stand is. She wrote as a journalist; that is, she thought and she made others think. Writing is important. And so is reading, today more than ever. And then Dorothy served meals, gave clothes, dressed and ate like those she served: she united mind, heart and hands. In this way, to hope is to take a stand.

Dorothy Day got thousands of people involved. She opened up houses in many cities, in many neighbourhoods: not large service centres, but places of charity and justice where people could call each other by name, get to know each other one by one, and transform indignation into communion and action. This is how peacemakers are: they take a stand and bear the consequences, but they move forward. To hope is to take a stand, like Jesus, with Jesus. His fire is our fire. May the Jubilee rekindle it in us and in the entire Church!

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Greeting:

I extend a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Jubilee Audience, especially those coming from England, Indonesia and Thailand. As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, may his Kingdom of peace and love instill hope in the hearts of all men and women of goodwill. God bless you all!

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Summary:

Dear brothers and sisters:

As pilgrims, your time here in Rome unites desire and decision, kindling in your hearts the fire spoken of in today’s Scripture passage, and inspiring you to concrete actions born of that desire. We see this same dynamic reflected in the life of an American Catholic by the name of Dorothy Day. Moved by the fire of love, she denounced the indifference of false peace and the injustices of her time. Jesus also tells us that to whom much has been given, much will be expected. Let us never forget that the Lord asks much of us precisely because he loves us and wants what is best for us. Today, we humbly ask the Lord to help us to recognize the many gifts we have been given, and to show us how to take a stand in our own lives to promote a society that truly reflects the love of the Gospel.

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Daily Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office, 22 November 2025