1st Week in Advent

1st Sunday of Advent - Hope

In Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus describes the events that will occur leading up to his second coming. "People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken" (v26). Fear will strike everyone as they see what is happening around them. However, Jesus calls us to "stand and lift up (our) heads, for (our) deliverance is near at hand" (v28). When we see all crumbling around us, we must then be hopeful that Jesus is coming to deliver us. It is this hope that will deliver us from the fear that will strike our hearts.

What is hope?
Hope is "not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out" (Vaclev Havel).

In other words, hope keeps us going when things don't go as we wish or expect. It makes us confident that whatever happens fits in the grand scheme of things.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, hope, as one of the theological virtues (the others being faith and charity), is described as such in 1818:

"The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity."

In other words, God has created Man to aim for happiness, and hope keeps Man going towards this aim. This happiness flows from charity and love. Without hope, Man will become selfish and closed off from others, and in turn lose his happiness.

Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, in a section of The Parochial and Plain Sermons, says,

"They watch for Christ who are sensitive, eager, apprehensive in mind,
Who are awake, alive, quick-sighted, zealous in honoring him,
Who look for him in all that happens,
And who would not be surprised,
Who would not be over-agitated or overwhelmed,
If they found that he was coming at once.

"This then is to watch: to be detached from what is present,
And to live in what is unseen;
To live in the thought of Christ as he came once,
And as he will come again; to desire his second coming,
From our affectionate and grateful remembrance of his first."

The late Fr. James Keller, M.M., Founder of The Christophers, reflects on hope:

"Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst.
Hope opens doors where despair closes them.

"Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot.
Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of human nature.

"Hope 'lights a candle' instead of 'cursing the darkness.'
Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities.

"Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism.
Hope sets big goals and is not frustrated by repeated difficulties or setbacks.

"Hope pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit.
Hope puts up with modest gains, realizing that 'the longest journey starts with one step.'

"Hope accepts misunderstandings as the price for serving the greater good of others.
Hope is a good loser because it has the divine assurance of final victory."

As we light the first candle on our Advent wreath, we are reminded to wait in hope for Jesus to come amongst us, in his Incarnation and in his Second Coming. This hope that we keep in our hearts will spur us to continue living in happiness through love and charity.

All content taken from Nov 24 reflection by Fr Thomas Rosica, CSB at www.zenit.org.