Hope...
Here's what the dictionary says:
- to expect with confidence
- to desire with expectation of obtainment
- to cherish a desire with anticipation
My parish is having a mission from February 4-7, right at the beginning of Lent. Our mission speakers are building this retreat time around the virtue of hope. Seems like a good idea to me!
There are so many realities in our lives that hedge our hopes, dash our expectations and drain us of our confidence. We need the Spirit to fan the embers of fading hopes into flames of confidence and trust.
Some of my readers live close enough to join us for this time of prayer and reflection but others live far away from Concord. Over those four days in February I'll be sharing with you here what's happening in our parish: a kind of virtual retreat, if you will. It will all be very simple and I hope fruitful for your spirituality as we all begin the season of Lent.
Every week in our intercessions at the Sunday Eucharist, we pray for: the healing of those who have been abused and betrayed and the restoration of trust and confidence in the Church... I know that's one of my biggest hopes... what might be some of yours?
What do you want to expect with confidence?
What do you desire with anticipation?
What gift to you hope to obtain?
What did you make of the One Way sign in the image above?
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ReplyDeleteIf you could do a mapquest for Hope... it might take you to Providence! (RI)
ReplyDeleteAlso Friendship and Benevolent...
Does the "one way" sign signify that the only way to keep hope in our hearts, is to follow the road to Jesus? I "hope" to obtain the faith and confidence to stay on that road!
ReplyDeleteGrace: I just found the inclusion of the One Way sign interesting in the graphic and wondered what others might think of it. You interpreted it positively, as did I. "One Way" can sometimes have a restrictive if not negative connotation and I was wondering if others might have read it differently.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the HOPE sign, I thought of Hope, Arkansas. Have I been paying too much attention to the political scene?! There is an unmet hope in our country for a better way to do things, a better way to engage ourselves with the rest of the world. My hope is that the next President (whoever he or she may be) will be able to tap into that unmet hope and put us on a path that more nearly follows what Jesus would want us to do and to be. Tall order, but that is what hope is all about!
ReplyDeleteHOPE is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. And sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson
ReplyDelete