Pilgrims of Hope: Towards Jubilee 2025 PDF Free Download
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First Sunday of Advent 2024
Towards Jubilee 2025
PILGRIMS OF HOPE
THERE WILL BE SIGNS
The Gospel Jesus said to his disciples: “There will
be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony,
bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of
fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven
will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take
place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is
near at hand. Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with
debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will
be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on
every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at
all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to
stand with condence before the Son of Man’ (Luke 21:25-28; 34-36).
For Jesus’ disciples, the events of history do not bring despair even
when there is great suffering. God’s plan for all creation will be fullled.
All will be reconciled in Christ and suffering and pain will end. We are
Advent people of hope, disciples ready for Christ’s coming. ‘Stay awake!’.
Life’s troubles, attractions and distractions can easily deect attention from
what is most important. Hearts may lose sensitivity and become hardened.
Opportunities may be missed. When Christ comes, are we ready?
For Everyday Pilgrims
From Pope Francis’ announcement of the Jubilee Year 2025 and meditations offered by Timothy
Radcliffe OP to delegates at each of the sessions of the recent Synod Assembly in Rome.
“Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5) ... Hope is … the central message of
the coming Jubilee that, in accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope
proclaims every twenty-ve years ... For everyone, may the Jubilee be a
moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” (cf.
Jn 10:7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always,
everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1) (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, #1).
Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope
dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our
not knowing what the future may bring. At crucial moments in the gospels,
FOR THINKING AND PRAYING
• What words stand out for you?
• What insights might you take with you on your own life ‘pilgrimage’?
we always hear these words: ‘Do not be afraid.’ St John tells us ‘Perfect
love casts out fear.’ So let us begin by praying that the Lord will free our
hearts from fear. For some this is the fear of change and for others the
fear that nothing will change. But ‘the only thing we have to fear is fear
itself.’ Of course, we all have fears, but Aquinas taught us that courage
is refusing to be enslaved by fear. May we always be sensitive to the
fears of others, especially those with whom we disagree. ‘Like Abraham,
we leave not knowing where we are going (Hebrews 11.8). But if we free
our hearts of fear, it will be wonderful beyond our imagination’
(Timothy Radcliffe OP, Synod Retreat Meditation 1: ‘Hoping Against Hope’ October 1, 2023).
… We have contradictory hopes! So how can we hope together? In
this we are just like the disciples. The mother of James and John hoped
that they would sit on the left and the right of the Lord in glory and so
displace Peter; there was rivalry even within the closest circle of Jesus’
friends. Judas probably hoped for a rebellion that would throw out the
Romans. Some of them probably just hoped not to get killed. But they
walked on together. So what shared hope can we have?
Timothy Radcliffe OP, Synod Retreat Meditation: ‘Hoping Against Hope’ October 1 2023
From Pilgrims of the Past
• He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing
strength to bear it. Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts
and imaginations. St Francis de Sales
• I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave
me to face my perils alone. Thomas Merton
• Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness
God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His
and He will not forget you. St John of the Cross
Prepared for Advent Year C 2024: The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst: PO Box 201 Bendigo, Vic, 3552
Email: adulaith@sandhurst.catholic.org.au Web: www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au
Acknowledgements: Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, Bull of Indicon of the Ordinary Jubilee of
the Year 2025, hps://www.vacan.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-
non-confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html; Timothy Radclie OP, Synod Retreat Mediaon, ‘Hoping
Against Hope’, October 1, 2023, hps://www.vacannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-day-
1-radclie-rst-meditaon.html; Dom Helder Camara, Essenal Wrings, Selected and Introduced
by Francis McDonagh, Modern Spiritual Masters Series: Orbis Books: Maryknoll, New York, 2009. St
Francis de Sales, quoted at: Sisters of the Divine Saviour, hps://www.sistersohedivinesavior.org/
pray_archive/the-prayer-of-st-francis-de-sales; Thomas Merton quoted at: hps://reecons.yale.edu/
arcle/seize-day-vocaon-calling-work/merton-prayer; St John of the Cross quoted at: hps://www.
catholicdigest.com/from-the-magazine/quiet-moment/st-john-of-the-cross-live-in-faith-and-hope.
Put your ear to the ground
and listen,
hurried, worried footsteps,
bitterness, rebellion.
Hope
hasn’t yet begun.
Listen again.
Put out feelers.
The Lord is there.
He is far less likely
to abandon us
in hardship
than in times of ease.
Don Helder Camara, Essential Writings, 95
PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE
PUT YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND
Second Sunday of Advent 2024
Towards Jubilee 2025
PILGRIMS OF HOPE
BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE
The Gospel In the fteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s
reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of
Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Abilene, during the ponticate
of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of
Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan
district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries in the wilderness; Prepare a way for the Lord, make
his paths straight. Every valley will be lled in, every mountain and
hill be laid low, winding ways will be straightened and rough roads
made smooth. And all people shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:1-6).
In a desert wilderness, far from centres of power and inuence, a
new age of God’s coming into world history is announced. John the
Baptist speaks for God who longs for our change of heart, calling all to
repentance and sorrow for sin. It is time to prepare a way for the One
who brings forgiveness, reconciliation and salvation. He will full the true
hopes and dreams for the human family and all creation.
For Everyday Pilgrims
From Pope Francis’ announcement of the Jubilee Year 2025 and meditations offered by Timothy
Radcliffe OP to delegates at each of the sessions of the recent Synod Assembly in Rome.
“… uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conicting
feelings, ranging from condent trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity
to anxiety, from rm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often we come
across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the
future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. For all of us,
may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God’s word
helps us nd reasons for that hope” (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, #1).
We need to recognise the immense goodness present in our world,
lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence.
FOR THINKING AND PRAYING
• What words stand out for you?
• What insights might you take with you on your own life ‘pilgrimage’?
The signs of the times, which include the yearning of human hearts in
need of God’s saving presence, ought to become signs of hope
(Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, #7).
We … gather in hope for humanity. The future looks grim. Ecological
catastrophe threatens the destruction of our home. Wildres and oods
have devoured the world this summer. Small islands begin to disappear
under the sea. Millions of people are on the road eeing from poverty
and violence. Hundreds have drowned in the Mediterranean not far from
here … I don’t know how many parents we have at the Synod, but thank
you for cherishing our future ... Parents and teachers are ministers of hope
(Timothy Radcliffe OP, Synod Retreat Meditation 1: ‘Hoping Against Hope’ October 1, 2023).
From Pilgrims of the Past
• Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily. To lean upon Thy
great strength, trustfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of Thy
will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To
face tomorrow, condently, courageously. St Francis of Assisi
• Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands,
and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child.
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
• Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the
darkness. Desmond Tutu
Prepared for Advent Year C 2024: The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst: PO Box 201 Bendigo, Vic, 3552
Email: adulaith@sandhurst.catholic.org.au Web: www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au
Acknowledgements: Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, Bull of Indicon of the Ordinary Jubilee of
the Year 2025, hps://www.vacan.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-
non-confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html; Timothy Radclie OP, Synod Retreat Mediaon, ‘Hoping
Against Hope’, October 1, 2023, hps://www.vacannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-
day-1-radclie-rst-meditaon.html; St Francis of Assisi quoted at: hps://www.daily-prayers.org/
angels-and-saints/prayers-of-saint-francis-of-assisi; St Benedicta of the Cross quoted at hps://
integratedcatholiclife.org/2023/12/daily-quote-saint-teresa-benedicta-of-the-cross; Desmond Tutu
quoted at: hps://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9354253-hope-is-being-able-to-see-that-there-is-
light; Donal Harrington & Julie Kavanagh, Prayer for Parish Groups: Preparing and Leading Prayer for
Group Meengs, The Columba Press:Blackrock, Co Dublin, 1998.
Be thou a bright ame before me,
be thou a guiding star above me,
be thou a smooth path below me,
be thou a kindly
shepherd behind me
today – tonight – and for ever.
Amen.
D. Harrington & J. Kavanagh,
Prayer for Parish Groups, 105
PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE
PRAYER OF
SAINT
COLUMBA
Third Sunday of Advent 2024
Towards Jubilee 2025
PILGRIMS OF HOPE
WHAT MUST WE DO
The Gospel When all the people asked John, ‘What
must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share
with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must
do the same.’ There were tax collectors too, who came for baptism,
and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them,
‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn,
‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation!
No extortion! Be content with your pay!’
A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people who were
beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared
before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming,
someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not t to undo
the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and
re. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-oor
and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in
a re that will never go out.’ As well as this, there were many other
things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News
to them (Luke 3:10-18).
The message is urgent. ‘What must we do?’ The answer relates to
practical actions, real situations and relationships. There is no need to
leave jobs or homes to follow John into the desert. Share with those
in need; be honest and just; avoid violence, false accusations and
exploitation. Reach out in practical love and compassion to your brothers
and sisters. Simplify your life. These are outward signs of a change of
heart from sin and selshness. We are challenged to think of our own
situations!
For ‘Everyday Pilgrims’
From Pope Francis’ announcement of the Jubilee Year 2025 and meditations offered by Timothy
Radcliffe OP to delegates at each of the sessions of the recent Synod Assembly in Rome.
… We are also called to discover hope in the signs of the times that
the Lord gives us. As the Second Vatican Council observed: “In every
age, the Church has the responsibility of reading the signs of the times
FOR THINKING AND PRAYING
• What words stand out for you?
• What insights might you take with you on your own life ‘pilgrimage’?
and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. In this way, in language
adapted to every generation, she can respond to people’s persistent
questions about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come,
and how one is related to the other” (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, #10).
We are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and
sisters who experience hardships of any kind (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, #10.)
Signs of hope should also be shown to the sick, at home or in hospital.
Their sufferings can be allayed by the closeness and affection of those
who visit them. Works of mercy are also works of hope (Pope Francis, Spes Non
Confundit, #11).
Inclusive attention should also be given to all those in particularly
difcult situations, who experience their own weaknesses and limitations,
especially those affected by illnesses or disabilities that severely restrict
their personal independence and freedom. Care given to them is a hymn
to human dignity, a song of hope (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, # 11).
From Pilgrims of the Past
• Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are Anger and
Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that
they do not remain as they are. Unknown. Often attributed to St Augustine
• Give something, however small, to the one in need. For it is not
small to one who has nothing. Neither is it small to God, if we have
given what we could. St Gregory Nazianzen
• We must accept nite disappointment, but never lose innite
hope. Martin Luther King, Jr
Prepared for Advent Year C 2024: The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst: PO Box 201 Bendigo, Vic, 3552
Email: adulaith@sandhurst.catholic.org.au Web: www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au
Acknowledgements: Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, Bull of Indicon of the Ordinary Jubilee of
the Year 2025, hps://www.vacan.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-non-
confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html; Timothy Radclie OP, Synod Retreat Mediaon, ‘Hoping Against
Hope’, October 1 2023.
hps://www.vacannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-day-1-radclie-rst-meditaon.html;
St Gregory Nazianzen quoted in: hps://www.catholicdigest.com/from-the-magazine/quiet-moment/
st-gregory-nazianzen-give-something-however-small; Marn Luther King Jr quoted at: hps://www.
brainyquote.com/quotes/marn_luther_king_jr_297522; Dom Helder Camara, Essenal Wrings,
Selected and Introduced by Francis McDonagh, Modern Spiritual Masters Series: Orbis Books:
Maryknoll, New York, 2009
PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE
We bless you, Father,
for the thirst
you put in us,
for the boldness
you inspire,
for the re
alight in us,
that is you in us,
you the just.
Never mind
that our thirst
is mostly unquenched
(pity the satised).
Never mind
our bold plots
are mostly unclinched,
wanted not realised.
Who better than you
knows that success
comes not from us?
You ask us to do
our utmost only,
but willingly.
Dom Helder Camara, Essential Writings, 93
A PRAYER
BLESSED IS SHE
Fourth Sunday of Advent 2024
Towards Jubilee 2025
PILGRIMS OF HOPE
The Gospel Mary set out and went with haste to a
Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s
greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was lled
with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has
this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For
as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb
leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be
a fullment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Luke 1:39-44).
Luke’s Gospel begins with two annunciation (announcement) stories
and two births that will change all history. The Holy Spirit is present in
the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth, as, in Elizabeth, the Old Testament
recognises the hope of the New Testament, in Mary. Two generations,
strong in faith, hope, love and trust, embrace each other. Both recognise
that something extraordinary is happening in a very ordinary event —
the quickening of an unborn child in the womb. This meeting of two
mothers emphasises the truth that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has placed
all her hope and all her trust in God, who has done great things for her.
The scene is set for the stories of birth.
For ‘Everyday Pilgrims’
From Pope Francis’ announcement of the Jubilee Year 2025.
Hope, together with faith and charity, makes up the triptych of the
“theological virtues” that express the heart of the Christian life (cf. 1 Cor
13:13; 1 Thess 1:3). In their inseparable unity, hope is the virtue that, so to
speak, gives inward direction and purpose to the life of believers. For this
reason, the Apostle Paul encourages us to “rejoice in hope, be patient in
suffering, and persevere in prayer”(Rom 12:12). Surely we need to “abound
in hope”(cf. Rom 15:13), so that we may bear credible and attractive witness
to the faith and love that dwell in our hearts; that our faith may be joyful
and our charity enthusiastic; and that each of us may be able to offer
a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good
FOR THINKING AND PRAYING
• What words stand out for you?
• What insights might you take with you on your own life ‘pilgrimage’?
deed, in the knowledge that, in the Spirit of Jesus, these can become, for
those who receive them, rich seeds of hope. Yet what is the basis of our
hope? To understand this, let us stop and reect on “the reasons for our
hope”(cf. 1 Pet 3:15) (Francis, Spes Non Confundit, # 18).
Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in
the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s
love: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Hardship, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or the sword? No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us …” …
this hope perseveres in the midst of trials: founded on faith and nurtured
by charity, it enables us to press forward in life (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, # 3).
From Pilgrims of the Past
• Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think
not about your frustrations, but about your unfullled potential.
Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with
what it is still possible for you to do. Attributed to Pope John XXIII.
• Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear
any illness, vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your
mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not
your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the
crossing of my arms? Our Lady of Guadalupe.
• Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is
hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is
darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. St Francis of Assisi.
Prepared for Advent Year C 2024: The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst: PO Box 201 Bendigo, Vic, 3552
Email: adulaith@sandhurst.catholic.org.au Web: www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au
Acknowledgements: Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, Bull of Indicon of the Ordinary Jubilee of
the Year 2025, hps://www.vacan.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-non-
confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html; Father Timothy Radclie OP, Synod Retreat Mediaon, ‘Hoping
Against Hope’, October 1 2023, hps://www.vacannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-day-1-
radclie-rst-meditaon.html; Our Lady of Guadalupe, hps://catholicism.org/brmichael-guadalupe.
html; Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi quoted at: hps://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/wp-
content/_uploads/nwart/les/Diocese%20News/Peace_Prayer_to_St_Francis_of_Assisi.pdf
Donal Harrington & Julie Kavanagh, Prayer for Parish Groups: Preparing and Leading Prayer for Group
Meengs, The Columba Press: Blackrock, Co Dublin, 1998.
PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE
A PRAYER
God of our beginning and our end
God of all the times in our life
God in despondency, God in ecstasy
God in light and in darkness too
God who exhilarates, God who disappears
God in success and in failure too;
God you are our all, to you we turn;
Engender in our hearts this day
A peace-lled silence
when we pray.
Amen.
D. Harrington & J. Kavanagh,
Prayer for Parish Groups, 106
Christmas 2024
Towards Jubilee 2025
PILGRIMS OF HOPE
DO NOT BE AFRAID
The Gospel Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a
census of the whole world to be taken. This census – the rst – took
place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to
his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of
Nazareth in Galilee and travelled to Judaea to the town of David,
called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to
be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there the time came for her to have her child, and
she gave birth to a son, her rst born. She wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for
them at the inn.
In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the
elds and took it in turns to watch their ocks during the night. The
angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone
round them. They were terried, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid.
Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole
people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you;
he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will nd a
baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And
suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly
host, praising God and singing: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to all people who enjoy his favour’ (Luke 2:1-14).
For ‘Everyday Pilgrims’
From Pope Francis’ announcement of the Jubilee Year 2025 and meditations offered by Timothy
Radcliffe OP to delegates at each of the sessions of the recent Synod Assembly in Rome.
Hope nds its supreme witness in the Mother of God. In the Blessed Virgin,
we see that hope is not naive optimism but a gift of grace amid the realities
of life. Like every mother, whenever Mary looked at her Son, she thought of
his future. Surely she kept pondering in her heart the words spoken to her in
the Temple by the elderly Simeon: “This child is destined for the falling and
rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed, so that the
inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own
soul, too” (Lk 2:34-35). At the foot of the cross, she witnessed the passion and
FOR THINKING AND PRAYING
• What words stand out for you?
• What insights might you take with you on your own life ‘journey’?
death of Jesus, her innocent son. Overwhelmed with grief, she nonetheless
renewed her “at”, never abandoning her hope and trust in God … Mary
became our Mother, the Mother of Hope” (Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, # 24).
So my hope is that you will be bearers of hope. The future may look bleak.
We may wonder where on earth we are headed. Each of us will live through
moments of crisis when the future seems unsure. But at every Eucharist we
remember the moment when there seemed to be no future except the cross,
when it all seemed over, and then Jesus made this extraordinary act of
generosity and hope. And so we need never be afraid. We can share our
hope with each other (Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP to Young Leaders in London on Hope, 2010).
… We may be divided by different hopes. But if we listen to the Lord and
to each other, seeking to understand his will for the Church and the world,
we shall be united in a hope that transcends our disagreements, and be
touched by the one whom St Augustine called that ‘beauty so ancient and so
new…I tasted you and now hunger and thirst for you; you touched me, and
I have burned for your peace’
(Timothy Radcliffe OP, Synod Retreat Mediation, ‘Hoping Against Hope’, October 1, 2023).
From Pilgrims of the Past
• Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily. To lean upon Thy
great strength, trustfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of Thy
will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To
face tomorrow, condently, courageously. Saint Francis of Assisi
• If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world
ablaze!. Paraphrased from Saint Catherine of Siena
• Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will. Saint Bede the
Venerable
Prepared for Advent Year C 2024: The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst: PO Box 201 Bendigo, Vic, 3552
Email: adulaith@sandhurst.catholic.org.au Web: www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au
Acknowledgements: Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit, Bull of Indicon of the Ordinary Jubilee of
the Year 2025, hps://www.vacan.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-non-
confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html; Father Timothy Radclie OP, Synod Retreat Mediaon, ‘Hoping
Against Hope’, October 1 2023, hps://www.vacannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-day-
1-radclie-rst-meditaon.html ; Timothy Radclie OP to Young Leaders in London on Hope, March
2, 2010 CYMFed Congress. hps://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/15737); St Francis of Assisi,
‘Peace’ quoted at: hps://www.daily-prayers.org/angels-and-saints/prayers-of-saint-francis-of-assisi/;
Rowan Williams, Sermon, Westminster Abbey, 29 April 2011: paraphrase of quote from St Catherine
of Siena, hps://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191843730.001.0001/q-oro-
ed5-00016659; Donal Harrington & Julie Kavanagh, Prayer for Parish Groups: Preparing and Leading
Prayer for Group Meengs, The Columba Press:Blackrock, Co Dublin, 1998;
PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE PILGRIMS OF HOPE
A PRAYER
O God, I know that all of life,
each path, is a path of promise if travelled in you.
As we seek to root our lives in you,
may we learn to trust the path we travel.
May we put our trust and hope in your leading us
rather than in our own interests.
Bless us with the strength to follow wherever your
will leads us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
D. Harrington & J. Kavanagh, 117
