Ash Wednesday is approaching in a few days, marking the beginning of this year’s Lenten season. Following the Jubilee, 2026 will be the 80th anniversary of the Hong Kong Diocese. In response to the diocese’s call to continue and reinforce the spirit of the Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope”, we follow the diocese in adopting “Messengers of Hope” as the theme for the Lenten campaign. Over the next five weeks, a verse from the Scripture readings of each Sunday will be selected as the focus for our weekly reflection.
This year’s theme calls to mind the meaning of being a messenger. A messenger carries a dual task: “to hand on” what he has “received”. This brings to mind the words of St Paul, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you” [1 Corinthians 11:23]. The context of this saying is, in fact, the earliest account in the New Testament of Jesus instituting the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, the Eucharist is the most precious gift that Jesus entrusted to the Church to be handed on through all generations.
During the Jubilee, the Church invited us to become Pilgrims of Hope, calling us to reflect on the essence of hope and to contemplate where our hope lies. Surely, hope is rooted in faith and in the great love that God manifested through Jesus. “It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us” [1 John 4:10]. This divine love is where our hope lies because “love hopes all things” [1 Corinthians 13:7].
This year, the diocese urges us to become Messengers of Hope. This naturally leads us to ask ourselves: Have we received this hope? What is this hope? Have we truly experienced it? If we meditate on the Lord’s Prayer, which we pray daily, we find these two petitions: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Are these not the ultimate hopes of every Christian? Even in the Old Testament, the psalmist had already envisioned, “In his days, may righteousness flourish and peace abound” [Psalm 72:7].
Yet, when we look at the events around us and the news from across the globe, reality often appears quite the opposite. In some ways, human beings, considering their technological achievements, have grown complacent and may even feel they no longer need God.
At the same time, countless others, faced with fractured interpersonal relationships, human greed and ugliness, and above all the looming shadow of war that threatens all humanity, are left in despair and hopelessness. As Christians, can we bring hope to them? Like Paul, we may be “perplexed, but not driven to despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8).
If we want to be true Messengers of Hope, we must first honestly ask ourselves, “Do we have a deep encounter with Christ, the Lord of Hope?”
Paul often referred to himself as a servant of the Gospel and could certainly be rightly renowned as a Messenger of Hope. He was able to say with confidence, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a), because he was so assured that “Christ loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20b) and proclaimed, “Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12).
Therefore, throughout this Lent, in addition to making efforts in repentance, abstinence, and acts of charity, let us strive to open our hearts and allow Christ Jesus to “make us his own”, so that we may truly become worthy Messengers of Hope.
Lenten Campaign Organising Committee, 2026
