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Gentle Hope

Writer's picture: Katie PeshaKatie Pesha

Every year on January 24th, the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, the Vatican releases the pope’s message for World Day of Social Communications. St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of writers and journalists; at KPC we have adopted him as our patron. He has written many books on spiritual direction, most notably Introduction to the Devout Life, which was originally published in 1609 and applies as much to today’s spiritual life as it did in the 17th century.


For this year’s Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 59th World Day of Social Communications, the theme is “Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts (cf. 1 Pet 3:15-16).” This theme, and its accompanying message, aligns so beautifully with the Be At Peace prayer written by St. Francis de Sales himself, which begins: “Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things…”


For nearly nine years, the KPC team has adapted and grown to better serve our Church in a way that embodies this specific calling to be messengers of hope - to proclaim what it is we stand for, not just defend what we are against. To “always find those glimmers of goodness that inspire us to hope. This kind of communication can help to build communion, to make us feel less alone, to rediscover the importance of walking together.”


Appreciating the breadth of knowledge and experience we have gathered among our own robust consortium of Catholic communicators, I turned to my team to highlight the greatest points shared in this rich resource that was recently released. 


Below is our list of top ten lines from Pope Francis’ message - a lectio of sorts, in no particular order:


  1. Addie: Do not allow instinctive reactions to guide your communication.  Always spread hope, even when it is difficult, even when it costs, even when it seems not to bear fruit.


  1. Steve: In the First Letter of Peter (3:15-16), we find an admirable synthesis in which hope is linked to Christian witness and communication: “In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”


  1. Molly G: Christian communication – but I would also say communication in general – should be steeped in gentleness and closeness, like the talk of companions on the road. This was the method of the greatest communicator of all time, Jesus of Nazareth, who, as he walked alongside the two disciples of Emmaus, spoke with them and made their hearts burn within them as he interpreted events in the light of the Scriptures.


  1. Mike and Maddie: I dream of a communication capable of making us fellow travelers, walking alongside our brothers and sisters and encouraging them to hope in these troubled times. A communication capable of speaking to the heart, arousing not passionate reactions of defensiveness and anger, but attitudes of openness and friendship.


  1. Anne: (I dream of) A communication capable of focusing on beauty and hope even in the midst of apparently desperate situations, and generating commitment, empathy and concern for others.


  1. Ted: I dream of a communication that does not peddle illusions or fears, but is able to give reasons for hope.


  1. Brenda: We are all invited – all of us! – to start over again, to let God lift us up, to let him embrace us and shower us with mercy. (A good reflection point based on this line: every new sentence is an opportunity to share God's will, and not my own.)


  1. Greg: A good communicator ensures that those who listen, read or watch can be involved, can draw close, can get in touch with the best part of themselves and enter with these attitudes into the stories told. (Another reflection point: keep the focus outward, not inward.)


  1. Liz: "Hope...is not something easy." (More reflection from our team: The word hope appears 34 times throughout the document. It's a reminder that hope is often thought of as something passive, vague, wishful, out there in the heavens and beyond our grasp. But Pope Francis reminds us: "Hope is a hidden virtue, tenacious and patient.”)


  1. Beth: The hope of Christians has a face, the face of the risen Lord. (Additional insights: It seemed to stray from a communications-related message into the scriptural reflection on hope, but obviously that was the point! Good communication inspires true hope, even when the message is a difficult one!)


For me, I was ultimately drawn in a particular way to a line towards the end of the message that encourages us to “Try to promote a communication that can heal the wounds of our humanity.” Later we are asked to “build bridges and break down the visible and invisible barriers of the present time.” 


As we continue in our ministry at KPC through this Jubilee Year and beyond, we will always seek ways to serve our partners as “‘communicators of hope’, starting from a renewal of [y]our work and mission in the spirit of the Gospel.”


As you consider the message from Pope Francis, what strikes you in a particular way? How will you step into your role as an authentic, hope-filled communicator for the mission? How can we help?


St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

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