For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16-17
We have every reason to be rich in hope. In writing of the Jubilee year, Pope Francis notes that,
“Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus on the cross.” (Spes Non Confundit, Paragraph 3).
Many of us have seen images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with Jesus portrayed as lovingly gazing outward toward us while pointing in the direction of his holy heart, a heart whose compassion and care for each one of us is without limit. In that image, Jesus seems to be saying, “Keep your gaze fixed on me. See how much I love you—so much that I came into this world because of love, took on your human condition because of love, and have surrendered my life because of love.”
The season of Lent invites us to keep our gaze fixed on the pierced heart of Jesus as we work to deepen our practices of prayer and the works of mercy and justice. May the way we live these Lenten days speak to everyone we meet of the unconditional love of Jesus, our hope.
Jesus, Savior, keep my gaze aligned with your loving heart always.
Sr. Chris Koellhoffer, I.H.M.
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This is an excerpt from A Path To Hope, by Living Faith writers. Copyright 2025 Creative Communications for the Parish. Used with permission.
