Pope Leo linked authentic hope to deliberate choice, “To hope is to choose,” outlining two transformative truths: the power of personal change to reshape the world, and the peril of indecision, which breeds despair.
Newsroom (06/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) In a vibrant address to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful to embody Christian hope through bold, Gospel-centered decisions, warning that true renewal demands a clear rejection of worldly attachments like wealth.
Drawing from the day’s Gospel reading in Luke 16:13–14, the pontiff unpacked Jesus’ stark warning: “No servant can serve two masters.” He highlighted how some in the crowd mocked the teaching, interpreting their reaction as a defensive response to personal convictions. “His discourse on poverty seemed absurd to them,” the Pope said. “More precisely, they felt personally affected because of their attachment to money.”
The Jubilee Year, the Holy Father emphasized, offers a pivotal “time of concrete hope” — a season for forgiveness and mercy that allows lives to restart afresh. Speaking directly to the diverse crowd under a crisp autumn sky, he framed the moment as a moral crossroads: “In this year, we must choose whom we will serve: justice or injustice, God or money.”
Hope as an Act of Radical Decision
At the heart of his catechesis, Pope Leo linked authentic hope to deliberate choice, a theme he illustrated with vivid simplicity. “To hope is to choose,” he declared, outlining two transformative truths: the power of personal change to reshape the world, and the peril of indecision, which breeds despair.
He cautioned against “spiritual sadness — that is, of acedia” — a malaise that manifests as paralyzing inaction. “One of the most common consequences is to choose nothing,” he said. “The person who experiences it is seized by an interior laziness that is worse than death.” In contrast, he portrayed hope as a dynamic force: an invitation to select life over stagnation, faith over fear.
St. Clare of Assisi: A Timeless Beacon of Defiance
To ground his message, the Pope turned to St. Clare of Assisi, whom he hailed as “a courageous and countercultural young woman” whose life exemplified radical discipleship. Recalling her dramatic break from a privileged family to follow St. Francis of Assisi, he noted the audacity of her path. “Clare’s decision was even more striking: a young woman who wanted to be like Francis, who wanted to live, as a woman, free like those brothers.”
In 13th-century Assisi — a city that prided itself on Christian piety — Clare’s vow of evangelical poverty still provoked shockwaves, much like prophetic calls do today, the Pope observed. “Then, as today, one must choose! Clare chose, and this gives us great hope,” he affirmed.
Her legacy, he added, endures through tangible impacts: inspiring generations of women to pursue consecrated poverty, and offering a steadfast witness that “was not like a flash in the pan, but has endured through time, down to us.”
A Call to Youth and the Church’s Renewal
Echoing Jesus’ words on undivided loyalty, Pope Leo celebrated how authentic Gospel living keeps the Church youthful and magnetic. “Clare of Assisi reminds us that the Gospel appeals to the young,” he said, praising those who “have made choices and live the consequences of their choices.” Such authenticity sparks “holy imitation,” he explained — not rote replication, but a profound self-discovery. “One loses oneself and finds oneself.”
The address culminated in a heartfelt prayer for the young and the broader Church, envisioning a community unbound by self-interest or materialism. “Let us pray to be a Church that does not serve money or itself, but the Kingdom of God and his justice,” he implored. “A Church that, like Saint Clare, has the courage to inhabit the city in a different way. This gives hope!”
As the Jubilee unfolds, the Pope’s words resonated with pilgrims from across the globe, many of whom lingered in the square, reflecting on their own invitations to choose.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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