Hope

Jubilee Hope

These recent weeks have produced a whirlwind of unsettling news. Tariffs being announced,  delayed and then re-announced, natural resources being claimed for other countries benefits, national geographical lines of allocation seen as arbitrary, employment In manufacturing swinging in nets of insecurity.

Yet in spite of all of this there is an aura of hope around us, as citizens of Canada pull together to claim a deeper identity, and as provinces strive to create new trade agreements. For some of us this aura of hope is resonating with our faith and particularly in this year in the call for a Jubilee.

Pope Francis designated 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope way before most of these uncertainties listed above took shape. Diocesan offices have quickly pulled together resources, planned pilgrimages to historic churches and organized trips to Rome. What strikes me with the greatest intensity is the underlying principle of a Jubilee year.

“The term Jubilee reflects an older Jewish tradition where every fiftieth year the land was to lie fallow, debts were forgiven and slaves were freed. Holy Year Jubilees are now celebrated every 25 years unless a special occasion warranted an extraordinary year be proclaimed as with the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015-2016.”  (info from London Diocese website)

With each Jubilee, advocacy groups focus on the forgiveness of debt. This year a number of groups have come together under the banner Turn Debt into Hope.

I cite a couple of resources that explain this opportunity far better than I. Here is a wonderful video by Development and Peace:

ORCIE (Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology) invites members of religious congregations and friends to a webinar on March 18, 1 pm,  From Ecological debt to Ecological Hope. Guest Speakers: Journalist Elton Bozzetto, Sr. Nilva Dal Bello, CSJ Brazil & Dr. Sue Wilson, CSJ Canada, with Sasquia Antunez Pineda, ORCIE Advocacy and Communications Officer. Register here.

There is so much to learn and celebrate. Hope to see you there.

-Sister Loretta Manzara CSJ

Reaching for Hope

A reluctant Facebook user, I received an email from a friend prompting me to view a new group of photos she had posted on Facebook. Below was one of them, an image taken of street art.

My experience viewing it can best be described by the timeless maxim, "A picture is worth a thousand words." In researching this adage, I found that it is frequently attributed to Fred R. Barnard, an advertising expert who first coined it in a 1921 article in the trade magazine, Printer’s Ink. Barnard’s insight suggests that a single image can convey more information than a lengthy description ever could, a point that has only gained relevance over time.

The piece of street art I encountered on my friend’s Facebook is a creation by a mysterious figure, known by the pseudonym Banksy. This English-based street artist and political activist has managed to keep his identity a mystery. His works often demand that the viewer take time to pause, think, and interpret.

The photo above links well with a fellow street artist, Shepard Fairey’s assertion, “Art is an important form of communication.”

Banksy’s work epitomizes this concept, by using visual language to deliver a compelling message. For me his imagery on the wall conveys themes of focus, perseverance, and gradual progress, an invitation for viewers to reflect on hope’s journey of striving and achieving new vistas step by step.

Why Banksy’s graffiti, caught my eye and engaged my reflection, was stimulated, perhaps in part, by “Pope Francis’ designation of the 2025 Holy Year of Jubilee as a time for renewal as "Pilgrims of Hope." which has been on my mind in recent reflections.

I invite you to allow Banksy’s art to evoke in you, your own words and thoughts on hope, proof that, indeed, a picture often says more than words can convey.

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ