Peace be with you: Where there is despair, hope

Where there is despair, hope
Gospel reading
Hebrews 6/18-19; Romans 15/13; Romans 8/23-25
Reflections
Hope in an individual is the hope of the world

Hope is an inner strength comes from God, which helps us to believe in the happiness, goodness, peace, and deliverance beyond our capabilities, possibilities, probabilities, and situations. The inner strength quality of hope comes from the experiential life of human in relation with God’s will. In this way of life an individual, develops strength to face all the situations through God’s will where the individual set the hope in God for the solutions while praying and persevering in the day today human way of life. This way of life accept and acknowledges the divine interventions in human life by the deliberations of hope, declaration of hope from the seen trials to the unseen peace and deliverance.

Hope denotes the trust in God not just for the future blessings but also entrusting God to intervene in the times of present troubles. It reveals the hidden blessings, which are unseen. It is a journey of constant movement forward that it is not constrained by the huddles of life. Being hopeful is similar to the running mighty river that does not stop or mind about hills and valleys but just run in constant with vibrant currents towards the sea. Being hopeful is living the earthly life for the love of God.

Hope is acknowledging the power of God in the natural realm of our life. We are accustomed to keep God locked in the mystical world or seclude His kingdom just to the heavenly matters. However, extending God’s kingdom in the natural life is the life of hope. This kind of life focus will uncover the presence of God in every situation and associations of life, which in turn will shine light in one, in the family, in the work place, and in the community. This way of life will demonstrate the gospel way of life in day today life, which is the mandate of St. Francis gospel way of life in hope.

Hope way of life will uncover the truth that God’s will is not contained within the human understanding. His ways are far beyond our ways of thinking, which means all things are possible for God. The situation may dictate impossibility according to the human understanding and it may derail our faith but the hope way of life is to understand the God’s love, which is greater than the situation we face.

This world is full of His grace and mercy, which initiates hope in the hearts of all creations. There are infinite opportunities placed in front of human to choose in the life. Some opportunities attainment brings blessings but some other opportunities missing brings blessing. Some times, possibility of some opportunities is blessing some other times the impossibility of some opportunities is a blessing in God’s will. Some opportunities appearance is a blessing where as other opportunities disappearance is a blessing. All blessings are possible in God’s will and good and bad in our standards and understanding may not stand the same value in God’s standard and will. God can turn any situation in to a blessing for those who trust Him and set their hope in Him.

Hope comes from the knowledge of Heavenly Father’s presence, will, and power, which is kindled by the love for God. Knowledge of Father’s faithfulness in one’s life journey strengthens the hope in the human will that results in constant surrender of the human soul to the heavenly will. Understanding the nature of Father’s love that will not offer snake for fish or stone for bread rather will provide with goodness all the time, is the basic tenet of hope. Hope originates from the faith, which is a graceful gift of Holy Spirit that nurtures the individual in the life journey. Nature and measure of hope in an individual life are unique to one’s own life situations. While the faith is the gift from God, the hope is the fruitful response of an individual with the investments of faith in action, which is a visible trust in God like a child.

Hope is an action of waiting upon God for His interventions and solutions in the midst of life situations accompanied by the genuine and honest human efforts that enforces the total submission of human will to the heavenly wisdom in times of impossibilities. Hope is a status where the human refrains from influencing, manipulating, and altering the situations but waiting in prayers and supplication and being vigilant to the inner peace and guidance, which comes from the Holy Spirit.

Hope is a deliberate trust in God where a soul is in disposition of trusting God in times of trials and temptations knowing God is in control and He is capable of delivering oneself from the situation. Further, in this disposition of the soul, the soul will trust in God for goodness in the midst of adversities believing that God can use anything to bring goodness in one’s life and even the struggles, trials, tribulations, and temptations will serve Him to bring goodness to us. Living a hopeful life is a call of Franciscan way of life. Being hopeful is a Holy Spirit’s gift. The life, which is lived by the faith, has the power to illumine hope in the lives in their surroundings. Experiencing and exercising the hope in the Individual life is the first step to bring hope to others.

Being hopeful is a deliberate choice and decision of an individual. Decisive life of being hopeful is driven by soul, which contains the Triune God’s presence and the fruits of peace flow from the generosity of riches and glory of God in such life. These souls contain the discernment to face the trials in waiting peacefully and patiently for God’s presence. Further, the souls seek and find the active God’s presence in the midst of life storms. In addition, the soul will take effort to walk in the ways of God in the decisions of difficult situations. In turn, the soul will proclaim the glory of God even in the testing fire like a shining gold of hope. Further, the hopeful soul will develop a capability to praise and declare God’s power in rise and fall in the ways of life. This serine status of soul is in tune with the heavenly wealth, which is beyond any worldly wealth; in tune with the heavenly generosity beyond any worldly charity; in tune with the heavenly humbleness to accept all things in God’s will for God’s glory as the life unfolds.
Further in this hope the soul trusts in God in times of need and fullness; in times of joy and sorrow; in times of success and failures; in times of victories and defeats; in times of peace and battles; times of known and unknown.
The soul, which is sustained by hope, considers the gain and loss with equal value, all experiences in the life are won for God’s glory, and the life reflects as the light to the world.

Once in the evening after the school two little children were playing in the street. They were happy in their friendly chat and play. There was a visible peace among them. However, after a while, an adolescent who had a bullying nature intruded the children play and he constantly teased the children. One among the children asked the intruder to leave in an assertive voice. The intruder replied stubbornly, “I will not leave and I will continue to tease you what you will do?” The child replied, “do you know my daddy? If you know, you would not do this to me. I will call my daddy and he is going to take care of you for your teasing. “Seeing the courage of the first child, the second child also said that his daddy is the leader of that town and he will report him to his father. Hearing the children brave call on their fathers the intruder left in shame. This story depicts the child trust in its father’s strength, power, and reputation. We are the children of God and we have the almighty God as our heavenly father who is all knowing, all loving, and all powerful.
Hope is the fruit of Holy Spirit that is the signatory presence of Holy Trinity. Where ever there is an acknowledgement of hope there is God’s presence of peace resides. Knowing and acknowledging God’s friendship and faithfulness through our day-to-day life in us, in our families, in our work places, in our associations and relations, in our decisions are the Franciscan ways of bringing hope to the world.
• Living hope is an action when one can abide in peace and be united in the family in the face of trials of divisions trusting divine interventions.
• Living hope is an action when one can continue to serve the neighbors in the face of demands and stress in relations trusting divine interventions.
• Living hope is an action of realizing hopeful life through the embrace of daily crosses for the love of God waiting upon divine interventions.
• Living hope is an action when one can forgive all in knowing and trusting God’s power of justice in His faithfulness.
• Living hope is an action when one can praise and thank God in the midst of trials and temptations trusting God like a child.

Annapoorna Mary, 2011
Prepared and presented in the Franciscan Retreat, November, 5th, 2011
Our Lady of Queen of Peace Retreat Center, Memphis Dioceses.