Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Imagine waking up to headlines that read: “Good News Today – Blind See; Lame Walk; Deaf Hear; Justice Descends on World!” What a contrast to our real headlines: Fire Engulfs Town; Pandemic Deaths Rise; Capital Insurrection; Mass Shootings; Child Hunger Increases. The world as it is, and the world as it should be. How do we keep hope alive in the world as it is? Hope is a virtue. Like habits, virtues need to be practiced. They can be lost if they are neglected. I’m always surprised at how easy it is for me to become discouraged, pessimistic, or negative about what is happening in our world. These negative attitudes can become a habit as well! But what does it mean to say “no” to the world as it is, to say, “We can’t go on like this?” Refusing to give in to the negativity in our world discloses an openness to another hoped-for reality that we can say “yes” to. In these contrasting experiences lay the beginning of anticipating the world as it should be. This is hope: a true gift of God. Every day Catholic Charities staff say, “Yes, there is another way.” When refugees flowed into Maine years ago, there was terrible resistance to them. But Catholic Charities staff kept working with the refugees. They showed that the power of God’s love can overcome hate and fear. Today there is celebration of the diversity various cultures have brought to Maine so much so that people are excited about welcoming refugees from Afghanistan. But it is not all about Catholic Charities’ hope for these new Mainers. It is also the fulfillment of hope by the refugees. Their hope is for a new life, a safe life, one lived in love, not hatred. Their hope teaches us about God’s abundant love for all people regardless of religion, nationality, or color. God’s grace, that is love, is poured into this moment in history. We experience the world we hope for – the world as it should be. We believe that the theological virtues of faith, hope and love come from God and lead to God. Hope keeps us from discouragement and sustains us during times of abandonment. Hope opens our hearts in expectation of God’s love, even in the worst situations. God’s self-revelation is constantly breaking through in our hopes and orients us toward a future, not produced by human will and power, but received as a gift and a promise that makes action possible. In reality, only God is powerful enough to carry the weight of our turbulent human history. God in us and with us stimulates the renewal of hope for a time when justice reigns, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the blind see. In this season of love let us live in hope for the coming of the Lord! O Come, O Come Emanuel!
Kathy Brown, a Board Member of Catholic Charities of Maine, worked for Catholic Charities USA as Senior Director of Mission Integration and Catholic Identity from 2008 to 2017. For 40 years she worked in various ministries in the church including the Diocese of Phoenix, parishes, RCIA national team, and Catholic Relief Services. She served as the Regional Coordinator for Caritas North America for 14 years. She and her husband, Scott, currently live in Gardiner, Maine. Kathy has a MDiv and MA in Theology from St. Paul University, Ottawa Canada. [email protected]. |
|
View this message in your browser. |
