Hope is held in the way we care for one another.
Care begins with recognising that another person’s life matters. Through attention, kindness and practical support, love takes shape in the everyday ways we respond to one another.
To care is to recognise both our vulnerability and our capacity to offer support. It is through these relationships that hope is nurtured and a sense of belonging grows.
In his 2020 letter Fratelli Tutti, on fraternity and social friendship, Pope Francis invites us to recognise one another as brothers and sisters. Drawing on the story of the Good Samaritan, who stops to help an injured stranger, he reminds us that love begins with being there for one another, wherever we come from and whatever we believe. It is a vision of a world where everyone’s dignity matters, and where each of us can help nurture hope through the care we offer.
“We can better understand the significance of the parable of the Good Samaritan: love does not care if a brother or sister in need comes from one place or another. For ‘love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; in their place, it builds bridges. Love enables us to create one great family, where all of us can feel at home… Love exudes compassion and dignity’.”
Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, 55
