In this Year of Jubilee, we are asked to be Pilgrims of Hope, supporting others who are experiencing war, hunger or poverty, or hardships of any kind, writes Pat O’Gorman.
While watching ABC Breakfast recently, I caught a review of the latest Superman movie. I’m not by nature a superhero aficionado, but the reviewer’s comment caught my attention when he said that this latest incarnation of Superman reminded him of Christopher Reeve, the American actor, activist, director and author who brought the character to life in four movies between 1978 and 1987.
Hearing Reeve’s name instantly stirred a deep sense of nostalgia. Those films are tied closely to memories of my early adulthood and my formative years as a teacher, connecting with students and sharing in their excitement. To this day, Christopher Reeve remains my Superman – the true ‘man of steel’.
I later came to admire Christopher Reeve deeply for his extraordinary courage and unwavering commitment to life, especially as he faced immense challenges after a 1995 horse-riding accident that left him paralysed from the neck down and impaired his ability to breathe.
He became a powerful advocate for spinal cord injury research and disability rights, inspiring millions by his public service in support of biomedical research. “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible” is a quote often attributed to Christopher and, until his death in 2004, he lived a life of hope, glad to be alive not out of obligation to others, but because life was worth living.
The basis of Christopher’s hope came from a place of deep spiritual insight. In his 2002 book Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life, he wrote:
“Spirituality is found in the way we live our daily lives. It means spending time thinking about others. It’s not so hard to imagine that there is some kind of higher power. We don’t have to know what form it takes or exactly where it exists; just to honour it and try to live by it is enough.”
‘Superman’s take on hope reminded me of Benedict of Nursia’s wisdom to, “Place your hope in God alone” (RB 4:41). The hope Benedict is talking about in the Rule is not some starry-eyed idealism or passive optimism. It is not about wearing rose-coloured glasses or being a Pollyanna about life.
Rather it is about an orientation of our heart, an engagement with life, a trust that emerges when we have seen the depth of anguish, the loss of direction, the brokenness of the world, and still choose to walk. For Benedict and Christopher, hope is the refusal to surrender to despair. It is the hope that fosters resilience and purpose in times of challenge and uncertainty.
The French philosopher Gabriel Marcel wrote:
“I almost think that hope is for the soul what breathing is for the living organism. Where hope is lacking, the soul dries up and withers. Hope is a virtue that is critical for survival in life. We don’t last long without it. Without hope we die physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Living involves hope.”
Hope is defined by our shared humanity. It is at the heart of our motivation for meaningful engagement with the world. Hope is the practice of solidarity, courage, and sacred imagination to deal with the twists and turns of life.
Our Good Samaritan Benedictine way of life is grounded in radical trust – trust that God is in all things, even in life’s most painful or uncertain moments. Benedictine wisdom reminds us that hope is not wishful thinking, but a deep, steady confidence rooted in God. Hope is born of God, shaped by God, and directed towards God’s loving work and purpose. It is the assurance that God is right there, close, involved in our lives.
Hope insists that no wound, personal or societal, is beyond God’s concern. It takes root precisely when the future feels most fragile and unknown. In the face of uncertainty, hope whispers that we are not alone.
Our faith is anchored in this truth: we are part of a vast, unfolding story – a Divine love-story billions of years in the making.
Staying on top of what is happening in our world, locally and globally, isn’t just a necessity; it is also our social responsibility. It seems every time we turn around, a new outrage claims our attention and our attempts to engage with the various conflicts and vulnerabilities of our world leads to feelings of overwhelm and uselessness.
So, what do we do? How do we continue to traverse the turbulent and uncertain events of our living in this world? This is when hope emerges as God’s gift to us.
We are called to cooperate with God’s gift of hope to make the world better. Hope lifts us to see the world as God sees the world – it is an expression of love that transforms our way of seeing reality. True hope does not turn away from suffering, pain, brokenness, injustice but rather moves towards it with compassion and determination.
Our hope in God should make us more attentive to those who suffer, not less. It should sharpen our vision to see injustice more clearly and strengthen our commitment to stand with and for those who are most vulnerable. The hope we live is not a passive waiting but an active participation in God’s transformative work in the world.
To place our hope in God alone is to release our grip on control and allow life to become the very ground of grace. This is the heart of Benedictine stability – the call to stay rooted, not in comfort, but in the place where transformation happens. Being present to our reality grounds us in gratitude and hope in the God who is present in love to all humanity.
In this 2025 Year of Jubilee, we are asked to be Pilgrims of Hope, supporting others who are experiencing war, hunger or poverty, or hardships of any kind. Pope Francis implored us to work hard to encourage and sustain hope:
“By our actions, our words, the decisions we make each day, our patient efforts to sow seeds of beauty and kindness wherever we find ourselves, we want to sing of hope … and reawaken in every heart the joy and courage to embrace life full.”
We are encouraged to become hope in action, to become active participants in the making of the world, to give witness to God’s promise to heal and transform the world.
Within each of us lies a seed of hope – a sacred imprint where the image of God becomes visible and alive. As pilgrims of hope, we walk with open hands: ready to forgive, to love, to liberate, to serve, and to see the world anew through God’s eyes.
The invitation, and the challenge, is to live each day grounded in this posture of hope before God and neighbour. It is to awaken to the deep truth of who we are: people of hope endowed by God’s Word (Christ) dwelling in us as Spirit and Life (cf. John 6:63).
Once you choose hope, anything is possible!
This article was published in the August 2025 edition of The Good Oil.
