March 3, 2025 – Day One
They who proclaim the hope of Jesus carry joy, and they see a great distance because they know how to see beyond evil and beyond their problems.
~ Pope Francis
Ponder:
Am I a hopeful person, or do I often fall into despondency?
Pray:
God of hope, remove any darkness that surrounds me, so that I may see you better!
Reflection from Gerry Kelly:
Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring up from the earth, and justice will look down from heaven.
— Psalm 85:11-12
It has been accomplished. Our sure hope is founded on our faith that what God has promised has already been accomlished in Christ and is being brought to completion in us.
— Philippians 1:6
Hope is a fundamental yet fragile aspect of our humanity. We deeply desire to trust in a positive future amid our daily experiences of joy and sorrow, expectation and disappointment, particularly during times of threat or loss. The capacity to dream, to desire, and thus to hope is ingrained in our nature. Yet, we also know from hard experience that hope can fade. The phrase “We had hoped…” (Luke 24:21) resonates with many of us. We had hoped the company would thrive. We had hoped counseling would make a difference. We had hoped she would return to health. The hopes we carry for ourselves and those we love can sometimes turn to dust as all things inevitably will. Today, the fragile hope we have held for the world seems to be slipping from our grasp as care for the earth and compassion for the poor are sacrificed to polarization, predatory economics, and violence inflicted by the powerful against the most vulnerable. Our efforts to resist often feel useless.
As we navigate this darkness, hope cannot be conjured or manufactured. It cannot be secured through denial or magical thinking. In fact, it cannot be generated at all from within by will, strength, or intellect. The hope we need can only come as a gift: the gift of a friend offering companionship, or of a mentor helping us to stand again. The gift of a peacemaker who shows us the path of nonviolence in the face of overwhelming evil. In short the many or few who make hope credible.
In these dark times, hope is always the gift that restores our faith in the capacity of love to heal and transform. The hope that saves us is never a given but always received as a gift.
Excerpts used with permission from Twenty-Third Publications.
“The hope we need can only come as a gift” – so perfectly true when we trust in our Lord and God. Thanks Gerry!