“It’s enough to discourage a Saint,” Therese’s grandmother would say when things weren’t going well. You and I might be tempted to say something similar in the face of widespread protests over racial injustices and police brutality; as well as regional increases in COVID-19 cases, and predictions of a second wave of this plague in the fall. It is hard to maintain hope about the future. But Pope Francis still encourages us to have hope. How? What does he know that we do not? In the book, On Hope, a collection of his teachings from general audiences, we discover at least seven reasons to persevere in hope.
First, we cannot manufacture real hope by our own power. Our possessions, scientific advances, and achievements may make us happy for a time, but these will not give us lasting hope. “Let us keep this in mind: our assurance will not save us; the only certainty that will save us is that of hope in God” (Pope Francis).
Second, the foundation of Christian hope is God’s love for each of us. God loves us first! (1 John 4:19) On our own, we are incomplete and sinners. But when we turn and give ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Lord opens an overflowing fountain of freedom and salvation. Each day, Jesus walks with us. No matter what we face. We can still cling to an expectation that the power and love of the Holy Spirit will come.
Third, hope is a journey with Jesus Christ to the Father. Every small or large “yes” that we give to Jesus is a seed of hope. He will lead us through the darkness to the light. Hope is not afraid of our current reality however challenging or difficult.
Fourth, prayer leads us forward in hope. We entrust ourselves daily to Jesus without demanding anything. This kind of hope entails a humble heart, not one that is full of ourselves, our achievements, or even our failures.
Fifth, hope thrives in a vital Christian community. We can draw hope from brothers and sisters in Jesus. Each one teaches the other how to hope. Each one helps fan the flames of hope when times are tough. The Holy Spirit wants to form and re-form our communities in a Perennial Pentecost, an ongoing experience of his power and presence (See Acts of the Apostles 2,4, 8,9,10,11).
Sixth, hope doesn’t lead to discrediting or marginalizing others. We are meant to discover new brothers and sisters in times of waiting, longing, expecting, and working for healing, peace, and justice. “Dear brothers and sisters in the United States, I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd. We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life… Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.” (Pope Francis, June 3, 2020)
Seventh, to live in Christian hope, we each need to be born anew in the Holy Spirit. We need to draw from the living water of the Spirit through the sacraments (flowing forth from Baptism), prayer, and adoration.
To summarize. Our ability to love and to serve flows from God, who loves us first in Jesus Christ. We are incapable of loving others, according to their needs, without the gift of infinite mercy. This gift is given through God’s Holy Spirit so that we can share that mercy with others. “Jesus is our hope. Nothing—not even evil or death—is able to separate us from the saving power of his love.” (Pope Francis)