Written by Sr. Rosemary, O.P.
Readings from: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102919.cfm
If you were asked to complete this sentence: “HOPE IS…” what would you answer? If you answered “Hope is finally winning the lottery”, or “Hope is wishing your favorite team will win the Super Bowl”, you may want to rethink what the virtue of hope really is.
Towards the end of the 1st reading, we heard these words:
“For in hope we were saved.”
Hope is woven throughout the letter to the Romans. There were only a remnant of Jews in Rome at the time, and more and more Gentiles were converting. The constant indignities they all suffered as Christians was beginning to take its toll. They needed encouragement to not lose faith. This letter was written to them to inspire these beleaguered followers to “hold on”, “persevere”, and “hope”, lest they compromise Christ. To fall away from him should be unthinkable.
Hope is not a small time wish or a short-term dream. To hope means to ultimately desire, no matter what happens, the kingdom of heaven and the glory of eternal life as our happiness. Christian hope lies in what Jesus has done by his sacrifice. It means to place our trust in Christ’s promises and not rely on our own strength, but on the help of the Holy Spirit.
“For in hope we were saved.”
Hope, then, keeps us from discouragement; it sustains us in the hard times. Hope motivates us to continue to build the kingdom of God, to believe this world has a better future, and to do our part to bring it about.
Pope Francis, a man who inspires hope himself, was talking to a Diocesan gathering in Italy and he said this: “Individuals who strive towards acceptance and sharing are generators of hope.” What a great phrase: ‘generators of hope’. Are we?
We can be ‘generators of hope’ for others by the small things we do, those ‘mustard seed’ moments:
- Offering to pray for someone and praying with them
- Showing a kindness to a stranger, even while driving
- Sending a thank you note to someone
- Holding our tongue
- Listening lovingly to someone
So hope is not something wishy washy or frail; it is rugged and strong because hope comes from God. We can face our personal troubles and world tensions with hope because we are already victorious in Christ, and nothing can rob us of that hope.
