Lenten Reflection Day 18

Faith, hope, and charity. All are innately given to us by God. These theological virtues, when cultivated, enable us to encounter God more fully in our everyday ordinary lives. Furthermore, they give us the ability to continue on in the journey of life through good times and bad. The virtue of hope is one that can often be disregarded as folly or wishful thinking, but it in itself stems from Divine origin as Jesus so beautifully illustrated in His resurrection. It is hope in the resurrected Lord that allows us to hope for our own resurrection and share in the Heavenly Kingdom.
What are you hoping for this Lenten season? A renewed commitment to God? Quitting a bad habit? Encouraging friends or family members to grow in their own faith? Hoping is what helps to give our lives purpose. And Lent is a season built upon this virtue. We journey with the Israelites who had waited, longed for the Messiah. They had hoped that the prophecies would be fulfilled. Jesus was the gift of the Father, sent as was promised, to deliver God’s people. We journey along with the disciples as Jesus teaches them truths of the kingdom and bestows upon them the gifts of the sacraments to be shared with his faithful followers. We walk beside Jesus on His was to Calvary. We stand at the foot of His cross, hoping that the Lord will sustain us in our sorrow. And then we journey to the tomb of Jesus and we see through the eyes of Mary Magdalene the empty tomb, and our hope is restored, made anew. God has fulfilled His promise to His people.
REFLECTION: Pope Francis spoke on the virtue of hope in his weekly general audience back in 2017. Here are a few quotes from his speech to help inspire us to continue living these last few weeks of Lent with a renewed spirit of hope and the ultimate attainment of Heaven.
-“If fear or evil looms so large it seems insurmountable, remember that Jesus lives in you. And, through you, it is he, who, with his meekness, wants to subdue all enemies of humanity: sin, hatred, crime and violence.”
-“No matter where God has planted you, hope. Always hope.”
-“Never believe the struggles here on earth are ‘useless’. God never disappoints and he wants that seed he planted in everyone to bloom. God made us to flower, too.”