Without the hope that Jesus brings, Pope Francis told seminarians from Cordoba, Spain, setting out on the journey of life would be madness.
By Kielce Gussie
Seminarians from Cordoba, Spain, spent the morning in an audience with Pope Francis, who greeted them on “the journey of life.” The Pope explained how there are various signs of hope throughout the path of life.
Towards heaven
“Direction: towards heaven, to the ultimate encounter with Jesus” is the first sign on the journey.
Pope Francis stressed that this direction does not lead to a comfortable life, because choosing comfort leads to “dead ends.” If this path is chosen, it requires turning back “with shame.”
Dangers along the way
Continuing along the path of life, the Pope described the second sign—the dangers people might encounter along the way.
Using the example of the life of their hometown saint—Pelagius from Cordoba—he encouraged the seminarians to “persevere on the Lord’s path,” emboldened by the fact that Jesus will sustain and give them strength to “be sowers of hope.”
Places of provision
One of the seminarians’ stops on their life journey was this encounter with the Pope and a visit to the Holy Door during the Jubilee Year.
Pope Francis underlined that everyone needs to feel Jesus’ presence in their lives and, in the Eucharist, “He repairs us when we get a flat tire in the middle of the road” and “He welcomes us when fatigue overcomes us, and we must stop to take a break.”
Without the hope that Jesus brings, the Pope said, “setting out on the journey would be madness.” It is only through trust in him that man can be certain he will reach his destination.
Yet, Pope Francis warned the seminarians that being sowers of hope does not mean “saying words of courtesy or opting for a sugary goodness.”
This path of life is not one to be traveled alone, he concluded. It requires a “community, guiding, defending, assisting, and blessing those whom the Lord entrusted to us as our task.”
