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I have been asked to speak to you of hope and kindness. For this I thank you.

Hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel and show us the path to follow in our behaviour. A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world. A society that looks to the future with confidence and treats people with respect and empathy is more humane.

As you know, the Jubilee Year began on December 24th. It is a period in which we are called to become pilgrims of hope. Even though we do not know what tomorrow may hold for us, we should not look to the future with pessimism and resignation. Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us towards scepticism and discouragement.

We choose love, and love makes our hearts fervent and hopeful!

Those who love, even if they find themselves in uncertain situations, always view the world with a gentle gaze of hope.

Kindness is not a diplomatic strategy, neither is it a set of rules to ensure social harmony or to obtain other advantages.

Kindness is a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance, and helps us all to become more humble.

And how important humility is! Humility lends itself to dialogue, helps to overcome misunderstandings and generates gratitude.

Regarding humility, I would like to quote the great British writer G. K. Chesterton, who was also held in high esteem by the Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges. At the end of his autobiography, Chesterton wisely invites us to "take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted" (Autobiography, chapter 16).

I would like to finish with a wish for hope, which is a theological virtue, together with faith and charity: I hope that during this Jubilee we can practice kindness as a form of love to connect with others. May the New Year bring us peace, fellowship and gratitude.

Thank you!

(Translation by Jayne Chivers and Bob Ratto, with the voice of Joseph Balderrama)

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