Our Mission of Hope The Light We Cannot Live Without

Our Mission of Hope

The Light We Cannot Live Without

Hope is essential, for without hope, life loses meaning. We can endure hardships, uncertainty, and even suffering, but without hope, our hearts grow weary, and we feel lost. In Spe Salvi (“Saved in Hope”), Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “The one who has hope lives differently.” Pope Francis builds on this, urging us to see hope as the foundation of our lives. He often speaks of hope as the light that breaks through our darkest moments. He reminds us that Christian hope is not mere optimism or wishful thinking. It is a firm trust that God is present, leading us forward even when we cannot see the way. In Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), he writes, “Hope does not disappoint us; it is based on the love of God who has always been faithful” (cf. Rom 5:5).

Hope is what gives us the strength to wake up each morning, to keep loving when relationships are difficult, to keep praying when God seems distant, and to keep serving when we feel tired. With-out hope, fear takes over. Without hope, despair can set in. The Pope tells us, “The worst thing that can happen to any Christian community is to lose hope” (General Audience, September 27, 2017). When we lose hope, we stop believing that change is possible, that forgiveness can heal, or that new beginnings await us.

But we are not meant to live that way. During this Jubilee Year, God is calling us to be “Pilgrims of Hope”—people who know the hopelessness that pervades this world is not our home, people who trust that Christ’s love is stronger than any darkness. Jesus did not rise from the dead to leave us hopeless! Pope Francis assures us, “Jesus is our hope. Nothing—not even evil or death—can separate us from the love of Christ” (Urbi et Orbi, Easter 2020). We are called to be witnesses to hope, reminding one another that, no matter how difficult life may seem, God is with us: leading us to-ward a future filled with His love.

As Lent prepares us to celebrate Easter, our Lenten Mission-Retreat this year can help prepare us to hold fast to this hope. The Daughters of St. Paul and people from our own collaborative parishes will help us with faith, song, and humor as we strive to grow as Pilgrims of Hope. St. Martha Parish is hosting our collaborative and guests for this series. Each evening starts at 7:00pm and the main program runs about an hour, plus the added activities on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Monday evening Sister Mary Lea Hill, FSP, will speak on the Act of Hope and our active hope., recognizing that hope is both a gift and something we are called to actively choose.

Tuesday we will have short talks on forgiveness and reconciliation, both personal & sacramental, celebrating Adoration of Christ in the Eucharist and communal Reconciliation Service, with many priests for individual confessions.

Wednesday evening Sister Tracey Dugas, FSP, will help us forming habits of prayer, so we can re-new and sustain our Christian hope through the ups and downs of life. The whole retreat program ends with a social and refreshments in St. Martha lower church hall.

Come to be reinvigorated in hope, forgiveness, and prayer. Come to be inspired to live as pilgrims who carry the light of hope. Come to grow in prayer, trusting in God’s love to guide us through our pilgrim journey on earth and to our true home with the Lord.