SFX parish hosts reflections on Pope Francis’ teachings

Mar 14, 2025

By Joanna Destiny
In celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the Church of St. Francis Xavier (SFX) has launched a series of reflections focused on key documents by Pope Francis. The series, organised by the parish’s Firm Foundation Ministry commenced on February 13 with a talk by Fr Alberto I. David SJ on Gaudete et Exsultate – Rejoice and Be Glad.

Throughout the year, the series will feature additional talks by Jesuit speakers, offering insights into Pope Francis’ messages of hope. These reflections aim to inspire and guide participants in living out the Pope’s teachings, encouraging them to embrace the message of hope central to the Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis’ message for the Jubilee Year 2025 centres around the theme of hope — urging individuals to be bearers of hope, cultivate it within themselves, and grasp its profound significance in their lives. In alignment with this message, Fr Alberto encouraged attendees to Rejoice and Be Glad, calling on them to live out the Pope's message of hope throughout the year.

Fr Alberto highlighted Pope Francis’ concept of “middle-class holiness,” a term first introduced in 2018. The core of this message is that holiness is not a distant, unattainable goal but a calling that belongs to every Christian. Whether your vocation is to be a teacher, doctor, or any other profession, your deeper purpose should be holiness. The beauty of holiness lies in its personal nature — each of us is called to it — but we are united in Christ, guided by His wisdom, and see our lives as a mission to grow in God’s love.

In his sharing, Fr Alberto shed light on how this holiness is to be attained: through contemplative prayer and active service for others. His message reminded us of the joy of striving for holiness and how blessed we are to be called to live a holy life.

Living out our holiness is not without its challenges. As Pope Francis points out, two threats — Gnosticism and Pelagianism — can distract us from this calling. Gnosticism focuses on intellectual knowledge of God while neglecting love, humility, and action. Pelagianism, on the other hand, believes that holiness can be achieved through effort alone, without relying on God’s grace. Both views decentralise God, replacing Him with human effort and intellect, hindering our pursuit of true holiness.

Pope Francis reminds us that holiness requires humility and the understanding that we are not all-knowing, as God is. The Beatitudes, which are central to Christ’s teachings on holiness, call us to live differently from the world’s values. They offer a radical rethinking of what is important to God, urging us to be spiritually poor, meek, compassionate, just, pure in heart, peacemakers, and steadfast in faith despite persecution. These qualities defy society’s norms and reflect the true essence of holiness.

Living out holiness is not limited to prayer but is expressed through merciful actions toward the suffering and oppressed. As Fr Alvin Ng, SJ, reminded us prior to Fr Alberto’s talk, there is nothing holy about being kind to those who can benefit us. True holiness requires selflessness — dying to oneself, as Christ taught.

Fr Alberto echoed Pope Francis’ message of spiritual vigilance in our daily battle against evil. Christians must wield spiritual “weapons” — prayer, scripture, the Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Sacramental Reconciliation, charity, and community life — to maintain holiness and resist the temptations of the world.

Fr Alberto also stressed the importance of discernment, helping Christians recognise God’s grace in everyday life. This lifelong process of shedding our ego and becoming more open to God’s mysteries requires intentional openness and trust in His plans.

Holiness is a communal journey, with saints and Mary as our guides. Mary embodies the Beatitudes and perfect submission to God’s will. Pope Francis affirms that holiness is attainable by balancing contemplation with action, bearing witness to God’s presence in all areas of life. This is the grace bestowed upon a Pilgrim of Hope.