Communicate hope with gentleness

You know about “mom sayings,” right? Those little nuggets that moms, and dads too, must learn in some secret school because they’re so prevalent. Sayings like, “because I said so,” and “you’ll understand when you have kids of your own.”

One of my mom’s sayings was, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” This came to mind as I reflected on the message for this year’s World Communications Day: “Share with gentleness the hope that is in your heart.”

Sadly, Pope Francis did not live to see the June 1 World Communications Day, although he left us an inspiring message, one which Pope Leo XIV quoted in his address to members of the media, just a few days after his election.

Here are three points in Pope Francis’s World Communications Day message that inspired me in a particular way.

1) Disarm communication and purify it of aggressiveness.

Pope Francis was worried about how aggressive and violent communication results in negative effects on people and society. This should be a universal concern. From aggressive communication comes attitudes of competition, opposition and manipulation.

One of the many words to describe the opposite of aggression is gentleness. I think of the way I communicate and sometimes it’s not so gentle. On occasion, my communication can be defensive or reactionary instead of thoughtful and calm.

Sacred Scripture talks about being purified with fire (Mal 3:2-3). Having one’s communication purified means going through the fire of having to examine ourselves to see if we need to change our manner of communication.

We need to ask ourselves: does my communication generate hope? If it doesn’t, what do I have to do to change it?

2) Tell stories of hope

Storytelling is so important that Pope Francis dedicated a whole message to it in 2020. We tell stories to make points, to celebrate the lives of loved ones. We tell stories of the past in order to learn from it and grow in the future. We tell stories of faith and how God has worked and continues to work in the people he has chosen.

Stories are powerful things and can communicate on a deep level what is most important to us. Pope Francis encouraged all of us “to discover and make known the many stories of goodness hidden in the folds of the news, imitating those gold-prospectors who tirelessly sift the sand in search of a tiny nugget. It is good to seek out such seeds of hope and make them known.”

What is your story of hope? There’s probably more than one! Share those stories, especially with those who seem to have lost hope. Infusing hope in people, one little story at a time, may seem insignificant, but Pope Francis’ message lets us know that “this kind of communication can help to build communion, make us feel less alone, to rediscover the importance of walking together.”

3) Care for your heart.

Pope Francis knew that gentle communication doesn’t come easy, especially in our digital culture. It’s something we have to work at. He said, “In the face of the astonishing achievements of technology, I encourage you to care for your heart, your interior life.”

With all that happens around us and to us and with us each day, it can be challenging to care for our interior lives. I’m blessed as a religious sister to have time woven into my day for prayer and reflection. As challenging as it may be to carve out time to work on our interior lives, we all need it. We need interior strength to rise to gentle, hope-filled communication, and this strength comes from God. Pope Francis said, “Always spread hope, even when it is difficult, even when it costs, even when it seems not to bear fruit.”

What might you need to incorporate into your life to strengthen your interior, spiritual life? It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. It can be as simple as remaining in church for 10 minutes after Mass to pray, asking the Lord for guidance. It could be keeping a gratitude journal, seeing on paper the reasons for your hope that you can then share with others. Whatever it is, keep at it. Care for your heart.

As we celebrate World Communications Day, we take to heart some of the last wishes of Pope Francis: “Be witnesses and promoters of a non-aggressive communication; help to spread a culture of care, build bridges and break down the visible and invisible barriers of the present time.”

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