Pope Leo XIV on Hope in Christ: Only Faith Can Give Meaning to Our Lives

The Riddle of Human Existence

Pope Leo XIV continued the theme of hope in his catechesis at the Last General Audience (Wednesday). He spoke of the riddle of human existence, of the paradox of being “stricken with contradictions and possibilities”.

He asserted that life is bestowed upon us as an unrequested gift, and each individual encounters challenges and hurdles, with some experiencing them to a far greater degree.

“There is something very special about life,” Heisenberg said. “Life is a gift, we do not through our own efforts give it to ourselves, and it must continually be nourished. Only with behalf-it is the kind of well-meaning support that sustains, cherishes, preserves, and restores the life of the organism.”

Accompanying this dimension of talent is the innate human desire to comprehend our purpose in existence and our ultimate aspirations.

Finding Hope and Purpose in Christ

Pope Francis claims that to live intentionally is to find your own road, find your own hope. "It gives us strength when we no longer have the strength to go on, and the certainty that whatever path we take on this Earth will always lead us back home".

In his own words, “Hope in life means being able to see part of an ultimate goal; it means having confidence in something that hasn't happened yet; it also includes trusting God loves us enough to have created each of us out of His desire for us to be happy.”

This supposition means that humanity has faith problems because we no longer trust that life could possibly have meaning; as a result, we forsake hope in our existence, become fatalistic, and refrain from hunting for significance. According to him, it takes valor to face difficulty to find courage to keep living, as exemplified by Jesus Christ's life on earth. Jesus is an illustration of how desperately God is determined to restore the hope of all people, especially the lost, the socially rejected, and those who believe themselves too removed from God to be helped.

God's Invitation to Share Life

Pope Leo XIV subsequently contemplated God's invitation for humanity to engage in His wish to bestow life upon others, describing the love shared between a man and a woman as a "marvellous crescendo.

He said, "God created man in His own image and gave man the duty of creating new men, also in His image, Out of love and with love." He continued to say: "From the first book of Sacred Scripture we see how life in its noblest form, human life, creates the drama in freedom."

Pope Francis remarked that human relations are often contradictory, as our desire for interpersonal freedom almost always leads us to see others as our competitor and/or threat. The author reflected on how God is inveterately committed to his plans, and has continually paved the way for us to set aside our natural turn toward violence and prejudice.

For him “to create” means, that we have faith in God’s life-giving power and support all forms of human expression, including the miracle of becoming a parent—for example, just as both mothers and fathers are—living in a society in which families face numerous barriers to pursuing their dreams and hopes while trying to carry out their everyday tasks.

The Resurrection as a Source of Hope

In summary, Pope Leo urged the faithful to draw inspiration from the Resurrection of Christ as a source of hope.

He said: "When your life seems being taken away, die your life, and your soul will die, likewise. Remember that Jesus is walking with you on the path of death, and at the end of time He is going to walk with you again in the glory."