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May this great pilgrim of joy and peace and hope safely reach his destination, the joy of the Kingdom of God that he proclaimed so insistently and effectively. Even as we pray for Pope Francis, may he pray for us that we may proclaim with similar conviction the joy of the Gospel in every community of this Premier See.

This, in fact, is the great project of our lives. To die to self and so that even now we can live in that newness of life that Christ’s death and resurrection make possible.

With our hearts glowing still more brightly, we shall then celebrate anew the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection by which we are redeemed. In receiving the Body of Christ, we shall taste his victory over sin and death. In receiving the Blood Christ, we shall be washed clean.

Let us now remind ourselves what it is we are doing on this Good Friday. We are making a journey “from desolate bitterness to sweet hope.”

Our eyes of faith see how Jesus more than fulfilled the promise of Exodus. Our liturgy dramatizes how to live as those as who hope and trust in the Lord.

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we re-affirm our trust and hope in the saving power of the Church’s sacraments, in Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick, together with Holy Matrimony, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and above all, the Most Holy Eucharist.

Then as now the crowds are fickle in their enthusiasms. Let us not be swept away by any earthly enthusiasm but anchored in supernatural hope. Let us walk the way of the Cross in resolute hope, the only way that leads to Resurrection and eternal life.