Dear brothers and sisters,

“Rejoice in hope” (Rom 12:12). As we celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025, which Pope Francis has dedicated to hope, we reflect on these words.

Who was Paul, the man who urged the people of Rome to “rejoice in hope”, and how did we come to know him? We thank God for his journey with us—one that began with a dramatic shipwreck. That day, we encountered a drenched prisoner, fortunate to have survived, yet we were even more fortunate to meet him.

As people of good heart, we welcomed Paul and the 275 others aboard that ship. Alongside our leader, Publius, we demonstrated true humanity—a heart that sees beyond the circumstances and responds to the needs of others. Even before we knew Christ, we maintained profound respect for human dignity. May we never lose the original decency of this island’s first inhabitants, even 2,000 years after encountering Paul and Christ.

Paul, the messenger of hope

In the account of Paul’s journey to Malta, the storm described in the Acts of the Apostles includes a significant phrase: “all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned” (Acts 27:20). This is where Paul intervenes and tells them not to be afraid: “For last night,” he says, “there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you’” (Acts 27:23-24).

Paul encourages his friends through his own faith. As a Jew, he had learned to place his hope in the one true God. Who knows how many times he had read, pondered, and prayed over the words of the Prophet Jeremiah: “O hope of Israel! O Lord! All who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be recorded in the underworld, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, the Lord.” (Jer 17:13).

When we meet Paul, we encounter a man whose hope is unlike the pagans’. The hope of pagans rests on a wish that someday, by chance, something favourable might happen, like buying a lottery ticket and hoping to win. But Paul’s hope is different because it is anchored on his faith in God—the certainty that He will keep His promises and that His love will never fail. To abandon God is to abandon the “living water” (Jer 17:13).

The hope found in Christ is the greatest assurance

What are we, who have encountered Christ through Paul, called to do? How will we shape our lives, our culture and our country? The Lord is not an enemy of our freedom, true progress or dignity. On the contrary, if we place our hope in Him, He is, in fact, our greatest assurance.

In his teachings, Paul reveals the true meaning of hope. He shows us that “Jesus is our hope” (1 Tim 1:1-2) and reminds the Romans that “through [Him] we have obtained accessto this grace in which we stand; and weboast in our hope of sharing the glory of God” (Rom 5:2).

Our hope, according to the Apostle St Paul, serves first and foremost, as a guiding light for our lives: “remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 1:3). Through our baptism, we have been given these spiritual gifts: faith, hope, and love. Faith is the foundation. Love is the concrete way we live it out. Hope is the anchor and compass of our lives.

“We are saved by hope.” This is a beautiful expression used by Pope Benedict XVI in his profound reflection on hope, Spe Salvi, and it is drawn from St Paul’s letter to the Romans: “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopesfor what is seen?” (Rom 8:24). If we already possessed what we long for, hope would no longer be necessary. We would need neither a map nor direction, for hope exists precisely to guide us toward what is yet to come.

Pilgrims of hope

We need this hope because we have not yet reached our destination. Embracing this journey as pilgrims, Pope Francis chose “Pilgrims of Hope” as this year’s motto. Throughout the journey of life, it is hope that gives us direction. We must ask ourselves: Where are we headed? Where are our choices as individuals and as a society leading us? What is our true hope?

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15:4). Paul writes these words as a persecuted prisoner to a community also suffering for their faith in Jesus. Amid hardship, he offers his Christian friends two words of hope: patience or steadfastness and comfort. With hope, no storm is too strong to withstand. Hope gives us endurance, resilience, and the strength to press on without giving up – bringing comfort to our hearts.

The hope of eternal life

Our direction must also be rooted in our hope for eternal life. Too often, we focus solely on the fulfilment and satisfaction we can gain in the present, forgetting that “while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour,Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Paul wrote these words from his experience, having encountered this very glory on the road to Damascus. That life-changing moment revealed to him that his hope in God was inseparable from his hope in Jesus of Nazareth—a hope that is an invitation to eternal life.

True hope transforms our perspective on death – it is no longer seen as an end that fades into nothingness but as a doorway, an opening to eternal life. Let us strive to ensure that our encounter with the Saviour, our joyful hope, will be a beautiful moment, not a consequence of choices that cut life short or a life lived without hope. Let us work so that when we look back at the end of our lives, our hearts remember that joyful hope. May God bless all we do as a society for those nearing their eternal destination, ensuring that they are supported, provided with all necessary services, and surrounded by the love of their brothers and sisters. They should never be abandoned or forgotten but treated with dignity and compassion.

Paul offers comfort to the Thessalonians regarding death: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:13). When we lose a loved one, we grieve, just as Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. But without hope in eternal life, that grief becomes endless sorrow.

True hope, however, offers us something greater. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer” (Rom 12:12). This is St Paul’s invitation to us during this holy year. Let us rejoice that our lives are guided by Jesus Christ, remain steadfast in the face of suffering, and pray without ceasing so that the Lord may strengthen our hearts and fill us with courage in every deed and prayer. We cordially impart our pastoral blessing to all of you.

✠ Charles Jude Scicluna
    Archbishop of Malta

✠ Joseph Galea-Curmi 
    Auxiliary Bishop of Malta