Guardians of Beauty and Prophets of Truth

Today, we hear Jesus’ powerful Sermon on the Plain,

where He proclaims four blessings.

Blessed are the poor, the hungry,

those who weep, and those who are hated for His sake.

These words challenge us

because they turn the world’s values upside down.

In a culture that often seeks comfort and security,

Jesus reminds us that suffering is not meaningless.

Instead, it is a path where we can encounter

God’s grace in unexpected ways.

The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu,

in their The Book of Joy, explore the paradox of suffering,

reflecting that while suffering is inevitable,

it does not have to be the end of the story.

In the chapter on suffering,

they remind us that true joy is not found in avoiding pain

but in allowing it to transform us.

Suffering, when embraced with faith,

can open us to a deeper experience of God’s presence.

This echoes the wisdom of our Christian tradition:

through suffering, we come to know the Lord more intimately.

Jesus Himself chose the cross,

not to glorify suffering but to redeem it.

In our own struggles,

whether personal losses, illness, or the turmoil in our world,

we can discover that suffering, when united with Christ,

can become a place of grace.

Pope Francis has declared 2025 a Jubilee Year of Hope,

a timely reminder that even

in the face of immense suffering in our world,

we are not abandoned,

Jesus always accompanies us

and most especially in our times of suffering.

The cross stands at the center of our faith,

not as a symbol of defeat, but as a sign of ultimate hope.

As we look ahead to this Jubilee year,

we are called to be people of hope,

witnessing to God’s love in a world

that is weary and in need of healing.

As many of you know, I had the joy of leading a group of pilgrims

to Rome and the Vatican to celebrate

the Jubilee of Artists and Culture.

We gathered with others from around the globe

to encourage and honor artists in their crafts,

recognizing their profound role in shaping culture and faith.

Pope Francis was unable to give us an audience

as he went to the hospital to get attention for his pneumonia,

we prayed for his continued recovery to full health.

While he was not able to preside at the Sunday Mass

in St. Peter’s Basilica as scheduled,

we were blessed to hear Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça

deliver the Pope’s powerful homily.

He conveyed Pope Francis' message for

the Jubilee of Artists and Culture,

challenging artists to be revolutionaries and prophets of our time.

We have heard those words of the beatitudes so many times,

and yet they never cease to amaze us:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” (Lk 6:20–21).

These words overturn our worldly mentality

and invite us to look at reality with new eyes,

with God’s gaze, so we can see beyond appearances

and recognize beauty even amidst frailty and suffering.

The second part of the Gospel passage

contains harsh and admonishing words:

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep” (Lk 6:24–25).

The contrast between “blessed are you” and “woe to you”

reminds us of the importance of discerning

where we find our security.

Pope Francis concluded his remarks with these beautiful words:

“Dear artists, I see in you guardians of beauty

who are willing to attend to the brokenness of our world,

listen to the cry of those who are poor,

 suffering, wounded, imprisoned persecuted or refugees.

I see in you guardians of the Beatitudes!

We live in a time when new walls are being erected,

when differences become a pretext for division

 rather than an opportunity for mutual enrichment.

But you, men and women of the world of culture,

are called to build bridges,

to create spaces for encounter and dialogue,

to enlighten minds and warm hearts.”

The Holy Father invited artists, and all of us,

to shine a light on the suffering in our world,

expressing truth through beauty and goodness.

This call to creative prophetic witness resonates deeply,

urging us all to open our eyes to those on the margins.

We need to hear this clarion call to action

and to act of our of compassion for

those who are suffering and who are persecuted.

We need to be guardains of beauty and prophets of truth.