Vatican City: As the Jubilee Year comes to an end, Pope Leo XIV has reminded the faithful that the spirit of the Jubilee does not stop with its closing. Speaking during the final Saturday Jubilee Audience, Pope said that the true gift of the Holy Year is hope, which continues to guide the Church and believers in their daily lives.
“The Jubilee is drawing to a close, but the hope that this Year has given us does not end,” Pope said. “We will remain pilgrims of hope.”
Reflecting on the approaching celebration of Christmas, Pope Leo spoke about Christian hope as something rooted not in fear but in the closeness of God. He explained that the message “the Lord is near” can sound frightening without Christ, but through Jesus it becomes a promise of mercy and forgiveness.
Pointing to the mystery of the Incarnation, Pope said God reveals Himself as one who gives life and constantly renews it. In Jesus, he said, there is no threat, only forgiveness and new beginnings.
Quoting Saint Paul’s words, “For in hope we were saved,” Pope described hope as more than a feeling. He called it a living and powerful force that brings people into the light. “Without hope we are dead,” he said. “With hope, we come into the light.”
Pope also spoke about true strength, saying it does not come from power or fear. He warned that arrogance and aggressive fear destroy life and create nothing. God’s strength, he said, is different because it gives birth and brings new life. For this reason, he explained, to hope is to generate life.
Turning to the state of the world, Pope Leo urged the faithful to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. He expressed concern about growing injustice and the concentration of resources in the hands of a few. God created the world for everyone, he said, and reminded believers that their task is to generate life and goodness, not to steal from others.
Pope also reflected on suffering, saying that faith gives it a new meaning. Suffering, he explained, can be understood as the pain of childbirth, through which new life is born. God continues to create, and people who live with hope are called to work with Him in shaping history.
“History is in the hands of God and of those who hope in Him,” he said.
In his final reflections, Pope Leo pointed to Mary of Nazareth as a living sign of hope. In her, he said, believers see someone who gave face, body and voice to the Word of God. Mary shows how hope becomes real through openness and trust.
“Jesus wants to be born again,” Pope said. “We can give Him body and voice. This is the childbirth for which creation waits.”
Concluding his address, Pope Leo reminded the faithful that to hope is to believe that this world can be transformed. “To hope,” he said, “is to see this world become the world of God.”