General Audience: English Summary

General Audience: English Summary

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses on Christian hope at his Wednesday General Audience, in which he contrasted authentic hope, born of trust in God's word, with the temptation of false hope in idols, like money, power, or physical beauty.

Please find below the official English summary of the Pope's Catechesis:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:  In these first days of the new year, following our celebration of the seasons of Advent and Christmas, with their message of the fulfilment of God’s promises in the coming of the Saviour, we now continue our catechesis on Christian hope.  The Scriptures teach us that side by side with authentic hope, born of trust in God’s word, we can be tempted by false hopes and worldly idols, like money, power or physical beauty.  Hope in God demands strength and perseverance, whereas these false gods promise an easy security, a future we can control.  The Psalmist denounces this kind of idolatry, stating that those who put their trust in images that are the work of human hands, will come to be like them: spiritually blind, deaf and insensible.  God is always greater than we are, and we, created in his image and likeness, cannot reduce him to our size or fabricate other gods, made in our own image and tailored to our desires.  By trusting in God’s word and hoping in his promises, we become more and more like him, sharing in his life and rejoicing in his provident care, revealed in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus his Son.

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