Fr. Franco's Letters

The Flame: January/February 2026

Dear Readers of the Flame,

The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of “transitions, gates, and roadways” among other things. He is usually depicted as having a double-sided head, one looking backward and one looking forward. Obviously, we do not believe in any “gods” except the Living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet, the double-sided head of Janus reminds us that we do well to look both backward and forward.

The Year 2025 was a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church. Noted for being a year of transition for the Church with the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, it was also a year of special grace and pilgrimage. I was blessed to lead a pilgrimage to Shrines in Italy, spending time in Rome, San Giovanni Rotundo and Assisi. Having recently read a book on Pope Gregory the Great, I was able to find his tomb at St. Peter Basilica and invoke his intercession. I stumbled upon the tomb of St. Robert (my patron) at St. Ignatius Church and asked his assistance in my priesthood. Using a glove worn by St. Pio of Pietrelcina during the stigmata, I prayed over each pilgrim in our group. And at Assisi, besides invoking the intercession of St. Francis and St. Clare, we were able to visit the tomb of one of our newest saints, St. Carlo Acutis.

I also spent some time praying in front of the San Damiano Cross (located in the Basilica of St. Clare). It was from this cross that St. Francis of Assisi heard the voice of the Lord, “go…rebuild my church.” Beginning with replacing brick and mortar at a small church a little outside of Assisi named Our Lady of the Angels Church, Francis and his companions came to understand that mission as a spiritual one, calling people to repent and follow Jesus with greater zeal, faith and love.

As I prayed before this revered cross, I sensed that the church that needs to be rebuilt in our time is the domestic church, in other words, the family. This is the normal place where faith is nurtured. Grace builds on the natural foundation of healthy family life. May the Lord inspire us to bring our younger families back to Christ and the Church! The pilgrimage afforded us two special opportunities to pray for families. In a surprise visit to St. Augustine Church in Rome, we stumbled upon the remains of St. Monica. Her many years of praying for the conversion of her son Augustine were answered in a powerful way. We asked St. Monica to intercede for our wayward family members. Later in the trip, we then prayed again for our families, this time at the House of the Holy Family, now located in Loreto, Italy. Jesus, Mary and Joseph: help our families be holy!

What will our New Year be like? During a funeral I presided at in 2025, the spouse of the deceased selected a song for the funeral that was played at their wedding over 50 years earlier: The Love of God will Rise Before the Sun. The happy and upbeat song’s first verse begins with these words, Nations shake, and earth may quake and storm clouds tend to gather…(The song is a little like one of those prescription drug commercials: the music and the people are as happy as can be, but the warnings about the drug’s side effects are dire!) Is this what 2026 will be like?

I do not know what 2026 will be like. I do believe that the love of God will rise before the sun. I also believe that we need to bring the fruits of the Jubilee Year 2025 into this year 2026. The theme of the Jubilee Year 2025 was “Hope does not disappoint.” (Romans 5:5a) I believe Pope Francis selected this theme because he saw so many people who have little or no hope. Even some professing Christians had become discouraged, despairing and cynical. Brothers and sisters, this ought not to be!

Romans 5:5 goes on to give a reason for our hope: “because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5b) The Holy Spirit working in our hearts reminds us that God’s love never quits. Even amid nations shaking, earth quaking and storm clouds gathering, God is drawing us to His Son, Jesus Christ, the true Lord of this world.

Whatever our state in life and with the health God has given us, let us continue to serve the Lord with gladness (cf. Psalm 100:2) this year. St. Paul encourages us:

“Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

Let us not grow weary or give up. Seizing the opportunities before us, let us speak the truth in love, do good to all, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ and reap the reward of a well lived faith. Hope does not disappoint because God does not disappoint. What he promises is beyond our comprehension. As St. Carlo Acutis was dying, he said this to his mother:

“Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape: in eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”

Living our lives in the light of faith, let us pour out our lives, proclaiming Christ and doing the good works that God has prepared for us to do. (See Ephesians 2:10)

God’s blessings to you and your loved ones in 2026!

In Christ,
Fr. Bob Franco