Hope Is the Lifeline

“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.” St. John Damascene

Recently, I was at mass, and I saw many young people. I spoke to one and thanked them for coming. We need to encourage people. The Carmelites near my home were telling me about the beehives they keep and the work involved. I was reminded how the bees begin with just a few, but they need to continually reproduce to keep the hive going. That is how our faith needs to be. It needs to be nurtured and kept going. Yes, the Lord will provide but we need to cooperate with the graces that abound in us. It is essential that we do not simply wait for big events to shape us, but each little event offers something.

“And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with him.” St. Edith Stein

I was reading on the Magnificat app about Gertrude the Great and Mary Magdalene de Pazzi and how they spent decades in solitude. Other saints preached all over the countryside yet, none became experts in prayer overnight. God provided an invitation to spend time with Him, and they had said yes to him. Recently, the Church celebrated two interesting feasts. The first remembered is St. Junipero Serra. Despite having difficulty walking from a mosquito bite, he set up missions throughout California on the west coast. Many were attracted to his work just like those bees to the honey. Also, it was the feast of the Precious Blood. It is a relatively recent feast in the Church that was initiated by St. Gaspare. It was extended to the entire Church by 1849. Although the feast day is important, the meaning behind has been around for centuries. We need to look at these people and hold them in high esteem without ever surrendering.

“Trials are nothing else but the forge that purifies the soul of all its imperfections.” St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

I enjoy watching the soccer games. I cheer for my team in this global competition. I went to watch a game with a group, and no one was really watching the game because they were too busy on their phones. This is the distraction we live in life. We need to look over our day, live an awareness and be ready. We cannot live without this attention every day. In the summer heat we are experiencing, I try to contact people to see if they need anything. Not everyone enjoys the luxury of air conditioning. Not everyone experiences this awareness that we are encouraged to live. We help each other, just like those bees. We all have a place in the world. Are we looking for that place, for that road or are we stagnant? Some of the saints I read about are incredible. I have been also reading books during the summer that help me with everyday life. When I am not sure what to do next, I pray and I ask my friends ahead of me for help. They always throw out an anchor. We need to do the same for others.

“Hope is the lifeline that connects us to God’s mercy.” St. Faustina

“Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your cares upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be too wrong for Him. St. John of the Cross