The Peace and All Good Column

Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., is the seventh Archbishop of Atlanta. In his award-winning column “Peace and All Good,” he shares homilies and pastoral reflections.

Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, ushering in the Jubilee Year of Hope. It was a very moving sight to see our Holy Father sitting in his wheelchair in prayer gazing into the great basilica. In his homily, he said: “Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world. Tonight, God speaks to each of us and says: there is hope also for you! There is hope for each of us.” 

In my own prayer and meditation, I have been reflecting much on the virtue of hope. We have witnessed many signs of hope at the beginning of this new year. We saw the release of pro-life activists who had been incarcerated for praying outside of abortion clinics. Once again, the annual March for Life drew thousands of people, of every age and walk of life to our nation’s capital to pray for an end to the scourge of abortion. Several executive orders and legislative bills have been passed to protect innocent life.  

However, there have been other issues raising concerns. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act ensuring that infants born alive after an attempted abortion receive the same protection of law and degree of care as any newborn, was passed by the House of Representatives but blocked by the Senate. 

In the crackdown on illegal immigration, there is fear and uncertainty. As a bishop, I take exception to the accusation that the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ policies and advocacy on immigration matters are motivated by financial self-interest. Nothing could be further from the truth!  

Additionally, Catholic Charities, which has operated in the United States for more than a century, has been accused by the White House administration of being complicit in harboring migrants who illegally enter our country. Catholic Charities, provides affordable housing, food and nutrition and disaster relief as well as supporting health, workforce development and immigration services.  

Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson stated: “The people who will lose access to crucial care are our neighbors and family members. They live in every corner of the country and represent all races, religions, and political affiliations.” May we never lose sight of the sacred dignity of every human life. 

There is no doubt that we live in difficult times. We see it in our nation and in our world. Amid all the challenges, we are a people of hope.  

Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., blesses the pilgrim doors at the Church of the Purification in Crawfordville Feb. 2. The church is one of several designated pilgrimage churches for the Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Photo by Terry Pickard

In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul wrote: “Hope does not disappoint!” These are the words that the Holy Father has chosen as theme of the Jubilee Year.  

In the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis wrote: “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. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm 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 find reasons for hope. Taking it as our guide, let us return to the message that the Apostle Paul wished to communicate to the Christians of Rome.” 

Seeing through the lens of eternity 

In his encyclical letter, Saved in Hope, Pope Benedict XVI of blessed memory wrote: “The one who has hope lives differently.” Christian hope implores us to see life through the lens of eternity, no matter what is happening in our world and in our lives. In a homily shortly before his death, Pope Benedict stated that Christian hope is like a family awaiting the birth of a child, filled with expectation of a hope that will be fulfilled and that gives each moment meaning filled with joyful anticipation. 

Pope Francis has chosen Pilgrims of Hope as the theme for this Jubilee Year. As pilgrims, we are on a journey to our heavenly home, and that hope of heaven can sustain us on our way. But there is so much more to hope than a far-off future. Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always,” can fill us with hope every day of our lives.  

Jesus has promised not only to welcome us at the end of our journey, but also to walk with us every step of the way. No matter how difficult the road is, we can trust that he is with us, offering us his grace and strength. I was reminded of this in a very powerful way, when on Jan. 27, 2025, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing that the five Franciscan missionaries, known as the Georgia Martyrs, were killed for their faith in defense of the sanctity of marriage. In signing the decree, the Holy Father has cleared the way for their beatification. 

Hope does not disappoint! Let us all become signs of hope to everyone around us—even in the most difficult and challenging situations. May we take comfort from the Pope Francis’ words: “The storms that buffet us will never prevail, for we are firmly anchored in the hope born of grace, which enables us to live in Christ and to overcome sin, fear, and death.”