Pope Francis: sowing hope is not opting for sweet goodism

This Friday, Pope Francis received the seminarians of the Diocese of Córdoba (Spain) who have made a pilgrimage to Rome on the occasion of the Jubilee Year, to whom he affirmed that sowing hope is not “opting for sweet goodism.”

In his address, the Pontiff pointed out that hope, the theological virtue on which the call for the ordinary Jubilee of 2025 is based, can be identified in three indications that mark the path of life: the direction, the dangers of the path and the provisioning areas.

Regarding the direction, Pope Francis explained that it is “towards heaven, to the definitive encounter with Jesus” as opposed to “the first positions” or the “most comfortable” places.

The latter “are dead ends that, if we have the misfortune of going down them, we must back out with work and shame.”

The second sign listed by Pope Francis to the candidates for the priesthood of the San Pelagius Major Seminary and the Redemptoris Mater San Juan de Ávila Seminary, referred to “the dangers on the path.”

Taking the example of Saint Pelagius – whose martyrdom in the place where the Córdoba seminar is located marks 1,100 years -, Pope Francis encouraged people to follow in the footsteps of the holy child and “in the midst of the pain of a war, of the cruelty most unworthy of the human being, armed with the helmet of hope, we can bear witness.”

“You can persevere in the path of the Lord, convinced that Jesus will always sustain you and will also give us the strength to be sowers of hope,” he added.

In reference to the provisioning areas, the third of the signs described, the Pontiff shared that “we need to be supported, to feel the presence of the one who is our only hope, Jesus.”

“He presents himself to us as a Teacher, as Lord, he gives himself to us as food in his word and in the Eucharist, he repairs us when we get a flat tire in the middle of the road and welcomes us when fatigue overcomes us and we must stop to take a break,” he abounded.

Pope Francis also stressed that “without that hope, setting out would be madness, but trusting in Him we have no doubt that we will reach the desired port.”

As a corollary, Pope Francis addressed the Córdoba seminarians with a message: “Never think that sowing hope is saying words of courtesy or opting for sweet goodism. This path is the path of Jesus, which leads to the heavenly Jerusalem, passing through the earthly one, embracing the cross and supported by countless Cyrenees.

On this route, he added, “you cannot advance alone, but in community, guiding, defending, assisting and blessing those that the Lord left us as a task”, work that he placed under the protection of the Virgin of Fuensanta, patron saint of Cordova.