As the recently installed president of Catholic Theological Union (CTU), in Chicago, Illinois, Father Enzo Del Brocco, C.P., is part of an educational institution that guides men and women in understanding theology and faith. A member of St. Paul of the Cross Province, Father Enzo has worked all over the world sharing the love of Christ.
Hope is part of his life and work, and he has witnessed the power of hope in some of the poorest places.
“I think prayer is true when it becomes action. Our hope is not based on a dream or something false,” explains Father Enzo. “Jesus crucified is our hope. The cross is our anchor. That anchor holds the boat so it will not be tossed about.”
He sees hope as the first step in changing the world.
“Hope helps prayer and action become truth and reality,” Father Enzo says. “Hope is necessary in this moment for those being marginalized. It is essential because hope gives us courage to keep going.”
“We have to pass that flame and give hope to the world.”
Fr. Enzo del Brocco, CP
The world often seems immersed in chaos and anger, but hope gives us power to make a difference.
“The darker it is, the more need there is for light.When it is really dark, a candle gives great light,” shares Father Enzo. “In this moment where it seems the power is going off, it is time to light our candles of hope. We have to pass that flame and give hope to the world.”
Father Enzo sees the Jubilee Year of Hope as an opportunity for action.
“This Jubilee Year is all about hope, and not just by holding public events, but by encouraging each one of us to do what we can,” he explains. “There is always going to be fear out there. That is what this world is trying to do. The only way to fight fear is hope because hope gives us courage. To have hope does not mean you are not aware of the realities. It gives you the ability to disconnect the fear. Fear disappears when we know exactly what we are facing and that we can face it. Hope gives us that energy to go and know. I have so much hope in God.”
Prayer is a key in how Father Enzo nurtures hope.
Reading the Scriptures and meditating on the Passion of Christ builds a strong foundation that helps when facing challenges.
“I have seen hope come from the most unexpected people and places,” shares Father Enzo.
One thing to remember, he points out, is that everything takes time.
“The positive result is not an immediate outcome. That is not how it works. You have to put hope in a bigger picture,” Father Enzo explains. “If you meditate on the Passion you will see this. When you are imbued with that kind of hope you understand the meaning of your life.”
Father Enzo believes the world’s attention is often elsewhere. Yet, with hope and faith, Christians are called, not only to recognize what actions and attitudes deserve rejection, but also to see how we might participate in renewing the world.
“We live in a world today where people ask: ‘How can I gain more power? How can I perform better? How can I be more beautiful?’” says Father Enzo. “But God’s measure of success is different. True progress comes when we come together to seek real solutions. In life’s deepest battles, answers are not created with a tweet.”
“The only way to fight fear is hope because hope gives us courage.”
Fr. Enzo del Brocco, CP
Living in hope is not easy. It demands that we open our eyes to the suffering of others and remain present even in the hardest moments.
“Hope is not always about saying something comforting,” Father Enzo shares. “To bring hope means holding the hand of someone who is dying and has no one else. It means standing with others and standing for them. That is what Christ did for us. He stood with us and for us, and he still stands with us today, especially in our moments of despair. He understands our struggles more deeply than we realize.”
Question: Do you see hope as an active state, a prayerful one, or both?
Father Enzo: I see it as both. We are not only spirit and not only body, we are body and spirit. Prayer is true when it becomes action, and action aligns with God’s will when it is done prayerfully with discernment. Our hope is not a dream or something false. For us Passionists, it is grounded in Jesus crucified, who is our hope. The symbol of hope is often an anchor, topped by a cross. In a storm, an anchor keeps the boat from being swept away. The cross is our anchor in the storm. I have seen signs of hope, especially in Haiti, among people the West might label hopeless or helpless. One recent example is Gina Herity, an Irish volunteer who was kidnapped in Haiti. Six women and a child were taken with her. When the captors released the child and the Haitian women, one woman chose to stay with Gina. That choice is a powerful testimony of hope.
Why We Need Hope
Look around. Hope is not our last resource, it is the first. It is what allows faith and charity to move into action. Consider the suffering in the Middle East and Ukraine, the struggles of immigrants and refugees, the risks faced by minorities, rising phobias and antisemitism, and persecution of Christians and other groups. Hope fuels prayer and action so they become real. Charles Péguy beautifully describes Faith, Charity, and Hope as three sisters. From a distance it seems the two older sisters lead the child, yet as they draw near, it is the child who pulls the others forward. That is how hope works, especially for those on the margins and those anxious about their future. Hope does not put us to sleep, it gives courage to move through trials. The first Christians endured persecution because hope drove them. We are here today because of their hope.
Remaining Hopeful Amid Chaos
Two images help me. First, the darker it is, the greater the need for light. Even a small candle can guide your steps when the power goes out. When the world goes dark, light your candle of hope. At the Easter Vigil, one flame becomes many until the whole church is bright. Pass the flame. Second, Scripture strengthens courage. In Revelation, when the dragon attacks the woman, she flees to the desert to protect the child. There are moments to retreat, yet I remain hopeful. History tells of horrors, yet God and humanity still rise. We will suffer, we will be confused, at times we will be crushed, but hope will prevail. Speaking about hope matters. We sit in our bubbles afraid, yet when we talk, we grow stronger.
Social media often spreads fear before official announcements. The aim is fear. Hope is the remedy because hope gives courage. Hope does not ignore danger, it equips us to face it. As a child I feared water, even hair washing. A patient teacher showed me what was really happening, and knowledge dissolved fear. Hope energizes us to learn, to know what we face, and to trust we can face it. As Christians, we may feel like a minority. Don Bosco says, God is with us, and if God is with me, I am the majority. We must believe that.
Practices and People That Sustain Hope
Prayer with Scripture sustains me, especially the Psalms and meditation on the Passion of Christ. In Haiti I have been caught in hurricanes and threatened by gangs, yet I saw hope arise from unexpected people and places. Hope’s fruit is not always immediate rescue or safety. You must see it within God’s larger story. Christ’s hope was not self preservation. His hope and faith sought the salvation of others. True hope frees us from self focus and turns us toward service.
Our culture prizes advantage, power, performance, and winning at all costs. God’s success is different. When hope fills us, we read reality clearly, condemn what must be condemned, and then rebuild. Many can diagnose problems, fewer build solutions. Real solutions are not tweets. They are patient, communal work rooted in real lives many of us barely know. Listening to those who truly suffer lets their pain touch our hearts. From that listening come discernment, prayer, and action. Sometimes transmitting hope is not about words. It is presence. Holding the hand of someone dying with no one at the bedside can be enough. Recently, when an archbishop asked people simply to be present in prayer outside courthouses, it was not about debating, it was about standing with and for. That is what Christ did for us. He stood with us and for us. He is Emmanuel. He knows abandonment more deeply than we can imagine, so he understands our despair. Scripture’s constant promise is God with us. Not a timeline, only presence. We learn patience.
What Haiti Taught Me About Hope
The people of Haiti formed my hope. No matter the mud, the floods, or the loss, when you ask, How are you, they answer, Thanks be to God. Their gratitude humbles me. They have given me a wider lens. As Pope Francis says in Laudato Si’ and Evangelii Gaudium, everything is connected. In their lament, like the Psalms, they ask why, yet I never heard them blame God. That also humbles me.
Hope also drives migration. We are all immigrants on this earth. People move because they hope for something better. Desperation can make people remarkably creative. Seeing greater suffering elsewhere should not make us passive about our own problems. It should move us to act more vigorously for justice and peace. People deserve dignity, and everyone should have it.
