The Gift of Hope - Praying in Hope

We learn in our Catechism that hope is one of the theological
virtues - together with charity and faith. In #2657 of the
Catechism, it says:


The Holy Spirit, who instructs us to celebrate the liturgy in
expectation of Christ's return, teaches us to pray in hope.
Conversely, the prayer of the Church and personal prayer nourish
hope in us. The psalms especially, with their concrete and varied
language, teach us to fix our hope in God: "I waited patiently for
the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry." (Psalm 40:2). As
St. Paul prayed: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you
may abound in hope."

It is very heartwarming, consoling, and encouraging, to know
that what the Catechism says about hope, is verified by our own
personal faith experiences of hope. Perhaps, there was a time
(or many times) in our life when we felt like Jesus on the Cross:
alone, abandoned, rejected, despised, mocked, sneered at, and left
to die in the cold. But, if we continue to have faith in Christ,
and not lose hope in His saving help, then we will share in the
joy, peace and glory of the Resurrection. The gift of hope does
not disappoint us; it sees us through every storm in life.

There is a book I suggest that you read for inspiration or for
spiritual growth. It is written by Maurice Lamm - a Rabbi at Beth
Jacob in Beverly Hills, California's largest temple. In this book
entitled, "The Power of Hope: The One Essential of Life and Love",
author Maurice Lamm shows us how hope functions, how to seek it,
and make it work, and how to differentiate between believing hope
and unrealistic hope.

One passage in the book, which speaks about why Alcoholics
Anonymous is so successful, is because it is based on the simple
proposition that left to ourselves, we are really beyond healing.
There is a greater power and Being that lifts us up from
despair.

The book says:


"When we hit bottom and reach ultimate despair, we have no choice
but to embrace the truth, look up, and start to climb out of the
pit."


In Chapter seven also of the book, Maurice Lamm dealt on the topic
of "Hoping in the Worst of Times". He begins this chapter by
quoting another author - Alan Jay Lerner:


"For me, the raison d' etre of Camelot was the end of the journey,
when Arthur lost his love, his friend, and his Round Table, and
believes his life is a failure. Then a small boy appears from
behind a tent - who doesn't know the Round Table is dead, and who
wishes to become a knight. Arthur realizes that as long as his
vision is alive in one small heart, he has not failed.

If you have time, you can search for the book and read it in your
leisure time. The book can help us cope with the present crisis
we are all experiencing in the world - a crisis that can be an
opportunity to strengthen our hope in God.