Reflection
n 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 that hope. Taking it as our guide, let us return to the message that the Apostle Paul wished to communicate to the Christians of Rome . . .
n Saint Paul is a realist. He knows that life has its joys and sorrows, that love is tested amid trials, and that hope can falter in the face of suffering. Even so, he can write: “We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” For the Apostle, trials and tribulations mark the lives of those who preach the Gospel amid incomprehension and persecution. Yet in those very contexts, beyond the darkness we glimpse a light: we come to realize that evangelization is sustained by the power flowing from Christ’s cross and resurrection. In this way, we learn to practise a virtue closely linked to hope, namely patience. In our fast-paced world, we are used to wanting everything now. We no longer have time simply to be with others; even families find it hard to get together and enjoy one another’s company. Patience has been put to flight by frenetic haste, and this has proved detrimental, since it leads to impatience, anxiety and even gratuitous violence, resulting in more unhappiness and self-centredness.
n Nor is there much place for patience in this age of the Internet, as space and time yield to an ever-present “now”. Were we still able to contemplate creation with a sense of awe, we might better understand the importance of patience. We could appreciate the changes of the seasons and their harvests, observe the life of animals and their cycles of growth, and enjoy the clarity of vision of Saint Francis. In his Canticle of the Creatures, written exactly eight hundred years ago, Francis saw all creation as a great family and could call the sun his “brother” and the moon his “sister.”
—Pope Francis, Spes non Confundit (Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025)
Questions for Reflection
1. In a culture of “frenetic haste,” what experiences in the natural world help you reclaim a more patient, hope-filled approach to ecological justice?
2. Jubilee is a time of restoration and rest, a time of debt forgiveness and of setting the captives free. What might a Jubilee for the ecosystem look like—either for salmon in the Pacific Northwest or in your own ecosystem, wherever that may be?
3. Jubilee is also a time to restore relationships. What broken relationships— with land, water, species, or peoples—might God be inviting you or your community to restore as part of a Jubilee practice?
4. How might pilgrimage—both understood as physical travel and as spiritual journey—deepen our commitment to ecological justice and reconciliation?
a. Pope Francis writes that “hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come.” In your own experience, what does hope look like in the face of climate grief or ecological destruction?
LOOKING BACK
Spring Benefit: Place of Belonging
Th IPJC community gathered for a beautiful evening of celebration and joy reveling in what it means to belong to one another. Due to the generous support of our sponsors and many individuals we were able to raise over $113,000 to support the work of the center, thank you! A special congratulations to our award winners, Victoria Reis, Patty Repikoff, and Marin Aguila.
Pilgrims of Hope and Creation: LSM-WA Earth Day Summit
Over 75 folks committed to working for the Care of our Common Home, gathered to pray, learn, and discern our collective commitment to ecological justice. The day featured a powerful keynote by Dr. Robert D. Bullard the “Father of Environmental Justice”, a litter pilgrimage, and pilgrimages of hope for creation planning for the upcoming season of creation. Several Catholic communities are planning pilgrimages in the fall!
All Our Relations: A Majestic Matriarchy: Honoring the Southern Resident Orcas
As a continuation of the Sacred Salmon Campaign, IPJC coorganized a powerful gathering of over 300 community members to inspire a renewed understanding of the ancient and holistic relationalities between the Sk’aliCh’elh (Southern Resident Killer Whales), scha’enexw (the Salmon People), the spirit in the waters (Tsi’Uid), and the lifeways of Native Nations in the Salish Sea bioregion. Beginning with a community meal and moving into a program we honored the voices of Indigenous women speaking on behalf of Sk’aliCh’elh and scha’enexw, and for being in right relations (xaalh) with our sacred obligation (Xa xalh Xachngning) to Creation.
