We recently announced our 2025 camp theme – HOPE FOR THE CHURCH**. We are taking our inspiration from Pope Francis’ declaration of the Year of Hope for 2025 as well as to honor our newly elected Pope Leo XIV. It seems a fitting theme of Hope for the Church that links our most recent pope with our newest.
As my family was watching for the smoke from conclave on EWTN, commentators said that within five minutes of knowing who the pope is, someone online is going to claim to be an expert on him; his past, present and future. And they were right. Already, our Pope has received criticism and comments from those both within and outside of the Church about what they perceive he is doing right and what he is doing wrong. We are so predictable!
Pope Francis and His Hope for the Church
Let us, however, lean into the hope Pope Francis asks for, knowing our merciful and generous God has given us, in Pope Leo XIV, a shepherd after His own loving heart.
With this in mind, I wanted to share a few pieces from Pope Francis’ call to have hope. He gave a series of 38 talks on hope during his general audiences from 7 December 2016 until 25 October 2017. He walked us through Advent, Christmas, Easter and ordinary time. He took us through Scripture highlighting such people of faith such as Jonah and Judith. He spoke of Mary and much more. Each of these audiences are two to three pages long and well worth reading but I know our time is limited. They all can be found here:
Two Suggestions for Pope Francis’ Hope for the Church
If you are able, might I suggest two?
No. 9 – The Helmet of Hope (1 Thes 5:4-11), General audience of 1 February 2017
No. 21 – Mother of Hope, General audience of 10 May 2017
The helmet of hope here is another take on the armor of God, “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation.” (vs. 8) Making sure we place this helmet of hope every day helps us wander through this valley of tears knowing God is in charge, not us.
He writes, “Christian hope is the expectation of something that has already been fulfilled and which will certainly be fulfilled for each one of us. Our resurrection too, and that of our departed loved ones, therefore, is not something that may or may not happen, but is a certain reality, because it is rooted in the event of Christ’s Resurrection. Thus, to hope means to learn how to live in expectation.”
With today’s today’s troubling headlines, it would be easy for us to be discouraged. But we are people of hope, that while our world seems upside down in so many ways, we are not people of this world but of the next. We are merely passengers on this earthen ship. As our own St. Therese reminds us, “The world’s thy ship and not thy home.”
It is a wonderful coincidence as we sail towards heaven that the anchor is a symbol of hope for the Church.
From Hebrews 9:14, “…it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil..”
Mary, Our Hope
The second audience I mention is one focusing on our Mother Mary and her witness to hope from the moment of the Annunciation. The entire talk speaks of the many examples Mary gives us towards hope and obedience to God’s plan, the last paragraph really spoke to me, as I do my own waiting.
“We are not orphans: we have a Mother in heaven who is the Holy Mother of God. Because she teaches us the virtue of waiting, even when everything seems to lack meaning: she is ever confident in the mystery of God, even when he seems to have eclipsed himself due to the evil of the world. In the most difficult moments, may Mary, the Mother that Jesus gave to all of us, always support our steps, may she always say to our hearts: “Arise! Look forward, look to the horizon”, because she is the Mother of Hope.”
If you are considering having a camp of your own, perhaps you can find time to read these. They will help you get into a spirit of hope to share with your campers. Let us help even our children know that no matter what may happen our Lord has risen, His Church remains our ship and guide and heaven is our home.
**I am wondering if our theme should rather be Hope IN the Church, and not FOR – Any thoughts? Don’t be surprised if we change it 🙂
Yes, I think that ‘Hope in the Church’ is better because there is no hope apart from Christ, so we will find all that we need, especially hope, withIN our Church!