Pope Francis over the course of his papacy reminded us of many faith-filled truths, including that Jesus is our friend, “Our Lady points to Jesus,” and that we should “let the hope of Easter blossom.” 

As we mourn his death and pray for his eternal repose, here are five writings of his to reflect on.

1. Sacred Heart encyclical: 

“The heart of Christ, as the symbol of the deepest and most personal source of his love for us, is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.”

2. St. Thérèse of Lisieux apostolic exhortation:

“The act of love — repeating the words, ‘Jesus I love you’ — which became as natural to Therese as breathing, is the key to her understanding of the Gospel.”

3. Bull of Indiction for Jubilee 2025:

“Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.” 

In this document, he also shared the crux of Marian devotion: “Hope finds its supreme witness in the Mother of God. In the Blessed Virgin, we see that hope is not naive optimism but a gift of grace amid the realities of life. ... At the foot of the cross, she witnessed the passion and death of Jesus, her innocent son. Overwhelmed with grief, she nonetheless renewed her fiat, never abandoning her hope and trust in God. ... In the travail of that sorrow, offered in love, Mary became our Mother, the Mother of Hope. It is not by chance that popular piety continues to invoke the Blessed Virgin as Stella Maris, a title that bespeaks the sure hope that, amid the tempests of this life, the Mother of God comes to our aid, sustains us and encourages us to persevere in hope and trust.” 

4. Homily in the silent square during the COVID-19 pandemic:

“Faith begins when we realise we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we flounder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars. Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies. 

“The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest, invites us to reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering. The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith. We have an anchor: by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope: by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love. ... Embracing the Lord in order to embrace hope: that is the strength of faith, which frees us from fear and gives us hope.”

5. St. Joseph apostolic letter: 

“Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course.”

BONUS

Easter 2025 reflections:

“The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion. Thanks to Christ — crucified and risen from the dead — hope does not disappoint! Spes non confundit! (Romans 5:5). That hope is not an evasion, but a challenge; it does not delude, but empowers us.

“All those who put their hope in God place their feeble hands in his strong and mighty hand; they let themselves be raised up and set out on a journey. Together with the Risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love and of the disarmed power of Life.”

BONUS TOO

One of my favorite pictures of the Pope (and the story to go with it):