Hope

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” St. Mother Teresa

I have a family member who suffers from several medical problems. Sometimes, issues such as these prevent people from moving forward. Others react negatively to seeing people in distress and, in typical societal fashion, write them off as useless and they get virtually ignored. In my city there are homeless people on the street. For many, it is difficult to find help and even to accept that help so they might just give up completely. Hope is the last thing to lose, but it is easy to give into temptation and think – What For?

“My dear children, the three acts of Faith, Hope and Charity contain all the happiness of man upon earth.” St. Jean Vianney

When we see someone suffering for so long, we reduce them to comments such as, - ‘What can we do with them?’ Our answers are not God’s answers. I have encountered people who have reached their limit trying to help others but never to the point of defeat. It is great to see people who have suffered begin to move again. It is amazing to see someone so excited about living again. Those who are less fortunate can bloom into someone new through work, being engaged in society, and meeting new people. So many people fall through the cracks in society. It is sad but true. How can we help? I was speaking with the registrar at my graduate faculty, and she told me how disheartened she was by the number of homeless people she sees around her. She shouted, ‘We should give them money!’ Money is necessary but so is being a presence. Where we do charity work, we have seen the same people come in each week. What are their lives like? We dare not ask but we try to be a presence and be supportive. Band-Aid solutions do not work. There is no quick fix in society for all our ails. We cannot expect government to be the answer. The answer must begin with each one of us.

“Prayer is the best armour we have. It is the key which opens the heart of God.” St. Padre Pio.

Prayer is important. Christ is the starting point. He must be, otherwise we will build a house on sand. And maybe even quicksand. We see injustice and see the needs around us. Are we doing anything, or do we bury our heads?

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.” St. Augustine

We think we are licked but we are not. We think the cross is the end, but it was not. The Apostles were distraught when Christ was put in the tomb, but it was not the end! No! Never! Because Christ is beyond all of this. The final words belong to Christ. When I see someone begin to flourish again it is amazing. The devil does not care why we are upset, he just wants us upset and away from God. God is stronger than all of this. Lies, deceptions, manipulation are all washed away with faith in Christ. A small example: I remember the time I needed to find my first apartment after university. Wow, was I afraid!! I looked high and low. I wondered and wondered what to do. I had not seen my godparents in years, so I called them. Low and behold, they helped me find a place and they even paid my first two months rent. Gratuitousness is what the Servant of God, Luigi Giussani calls it. To give without counting the cost. We hope and continue to persevere. Cardinal Pell’s saga stays in my mind often. He stayed the course and won. Cardinal Van Thuan’s story is another that stays in mind. I would love to have that kind of determination and hope. Fortunately, I am surrounded by people who remind me of this all day. The Carmelite nuns remind me of this often. God sends us help as we need it.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”