Christian hope shows that the earth can resemble heaven, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The hope that comes from true faith “breaks the chain of evil,” promoting forgiveness and righteousness, Pope Leo XIV said.

“It is a new kind of strength that confounds the proud and casts down the mighty from their thrones,” he said. “In this way, hope arises.”

At a Jubilee general audience in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 8, Pope Leo particularly welcomed pilgrims from the Jubilee of the World of Work. The celebration originally was scheduled to include the May 1 feast of St. Joseph the Worker but was postponed because of the death of Pope Francis.

Pope Leo told people at the audience about Blessed Isidore Bakanja, a Congolese martyr who died in 1909 as a result of the beatings he endured at the hands of his boss at the European-owned plantation where he worked. The man despised Christians and the missionaries Blessed Bakanja was close to.

But as Blessed Bakanja was dying, he told the missionaries that he had forgiven his boss and would pray for him from heaven.

The Scripture reading at the audience was from 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, “Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong.”

Writing to the Corinthians, St. Paul wants them to understand how, with Jesus’ death and resurrection, “the earth has already begun to resemble heaven,” the pope said. “He tells them to consider their calling and to see how God has brought together people who otherwise would never have associated with one another.”

“To hope is to bear witness that the earth can truly resemble heaven” with justice and peace and dignity for all, the pope said. “And this is the message of the Jubilee.”

In his English-language remarks, Pope Leo said that Blessed Bakanja’s witness “reminds us that we have much to learn from our persecuted brothers and sisters in Africa. Let us strive to follow his example of perseverance in the faith despite any persecution or rejection we may face.”

Work should be “a source of hope and life, allowing each person to express their creativity and their capacity to do good,” the pope said, asking for a commitment by governments and businesses to creating “meaningful employment opportunities that offer stability and dignity, ensuring above all that young people can fulfill their dreams and contribute to the common good.”

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