This saying of an 18th century poet is often quoted to refer to human resilience and the ability to keep on going in the face of failure and disappointment. Many cultures have similar expressions which gives them heart in times of great need or the prospect of terrifying futures.
Pope Francis chooses the theme of Hope for the Jubilee Year 2025. Humanity is once again enduring a long litany of great hardship and upheavals which brings deep anxiety, fear and uncertainty to millions.
Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. (SNC)
Every time we celebrate Mass we pray for the grace to “wait in joyful hope for the coming of Our Lord Jesus”.
“Waiting implies patience and in our fast-paced world, we are used to wanting everything now. Nor is there much place for patience in this age of the Internet, as space and time yield to an ever-present “now”. (SNC)
The Word of God can give us hope as does patient contemplation of nature with its gestations, seasons and rhythms. This Jubilee or Holy Year is marked by a hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.
As an Institute too we look forward to our next General Chapter with Hope, remembering the words of Fr Barre: “What appears to destroy the Institute is precisely what will strengthen it”. So we keep Hope alive and trust in the work of God’s Holy Spirit who is Eternal Newness.
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