This Catechetical Sunday, the Christian Formation staff introduced our Pilgrimage to Hope. See their full remarks here!
It is our hope that we will all be able to enthusiastically respond to 2 Peter 3:15, "Always be ready to give an explanation...for a reason for your hope." Our world keeps challenging us, making it difficult to hold on to hope, but our faith gives us reasons to remain hopeful. Romans 8:24-25 says, "For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance." St. Paul reminds us that walking in this world, with hope, we are saved. In the introduction to Matthew Kelly's book, "Beautiful Hope", Pope Francis encourages us to ask ourselves: "Am I walking with hope, or is my interior life static, closed? Is my heart a locked drawer or a drawer open to the hope which enables me to walk - not alone - with Jesus? Try spending some time in prayer this week reflecting upon this Scripture and the questions Pope Francis presents...
September Focus: What is Hope? How do you define Hope?
As we begin our pilgrimage, How do you define hope? What is hope? Spend some time in prayer this week reflecting upon these Scriptures:
- "For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with patience." Romans 8:24-25
- "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
- "And you shall be secure, because there is hope; you shall look around you and lied down in safety" Job 11:18
October Focus: The Meaning of Hope and Why God Wants us to Have Hope
In "Hope: A Journey Through the Scriptures and Holy Writings" Loreen Derry writes: "What does hope mean? In our common lingo, hope means "I wish, I want, and maybe I will get lucky." There is not much assurance it will happen. Instead the word hope is tinged with wishing. "In religious terms, hope is the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness. The scriptures often speak of hope as anticipation of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. In the Bible, hope is the assurance that God will fulfill his promises. It is a certainty, not based on us, but on God."
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church hope is defined as, "the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit (CCC #1817)
Take a moment to reflect upon this passage from St. Paul who talks about the opposite of hope, before Jesus:
"You were at that time without Christ...strangers to the covenant of promise, without hope and without God in the world." (Eph 2:12)
The reason is clear...our hope is in Jesus Christ alone.
Watch "In Christ Alone" below:
Reflect on these Scriptures during the month of October:
"The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to the one that seeks him; It is good to hope in silence for the Lord’s deliverance." Lamentations 3:25-26
"For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:4-6
"Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4