In the spirit of the Jubilee Year of Hope when we reflect on our identity as pilgrims of Hope, I would like to invite us to reflect on the theme of Hope, and how we can rekindle our hope.
It comes naturally to us that we cannot live without hope. A parent cares and feeds the newborns because she hopes that he would grow and continue living, passing on the goodness in her. A farmer cultivates the earth with choice crops because he hopes that they would grow to bear fruits that would feed him, his loved ones and neighbors and probably help him to fend for himself.
Growth is impossible without hope. Hope makes it possible for us to dream.
Hope is the belief in the certainty of forthcoming goodness.
Yet, sometimes our hopes are bashed. The crops fail, our children die, events do not turn out the way we had hoped. Our plans for helping the poor, caring for the sick, providing housing for the homeless and freeing those who are persecuted fail. How about ourselves; the peace and fulfilment we had hoped to receive in caring for others as agents of charity can elude us for some personal or communal reasons.
What do we do when this happens? How do we recover? Aren’t we hopeless when these happen?
We can rekindle our hope by reviewing the source of our hope; rediscovering the true and real source of our hope. What is the source of your hope?
As Christians, the source of our hope is the death and resurrection of Christ! Thus, we boldly profess at the Holy Mass: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Chris will come again!
This unquenchable hope is why we have our ministry as Vincentians and why the hands of Charity is never crippled because our head, redeemer, Saviour and our God – the source and end of our lives is not swallowed up by the climax of hopelessness which is death. He whispers to our hearts that we are moving to something better than all we have at the moment. He energizes us.
St. Paul captures the true source of our hope when he writes:
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5.1-5)
We pray at the Holy Mass after the Our Father:
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
This future which God brings is certain. Think about this and let your hope be rekindled.
Act accordingly as an instrument of charity. Say this of yourself; “I am caring for the poor not because I want to end poverty in the world, but because I am placed in this time and age to announce the reign of God’s love amidst the uncertainties of present times. I believe and trust in the promises of God that he would wipe all tears and make all things right at the end of time.”
- Fr Kelvin Spiritual Advisor St Michael Conference