Wednesday
of the 2nd Week of Advent
December 9, 2015 8:30am
There is one sentence in today’s
first reading that really gets my attention.
The Lord, through the Prophet
Isaiah, says:
“They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength…”
“They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength…”
I just love that sentence.
It speaks of Advent – which I see
as a season of hope.
It touches a very deep need within
each of us – a need for hope.
I do not pretend to have a full
idea of what hope is, but I have a few insights into this virtue.
Hope gives us a vision of what
can be.
It gives us a vision of what we
can and should work for.
Hope gives us a sense that
tomorrow and the future is possible.
It keeps us going when things
feel heavy.
Hope gives us light – that’s why
we have the Advent candles.
It gives us light when we feel
surrounded by darkness.
Hope is not necessarily about
concrete changes in the future.
It is about trust that we are in
good hands right now, in the present.
Hope is not the expectation that
things will necessarily get better.
It is the trust that God will
keep his promises and remain Emmanuel – a name which means “God is with us.”
I think what I have said is
something about what hope is.
I also believe that it is this
kind of hope that does for us what the Lord says in Isaiah.
“They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength…”
It gives us strength.
