Alex Thiel
Spiritual Reflection: Hope
As we begin the season of Advent, at the start of the Church’s new liturgical year, many of you are likely familiar with the common practice of the Advent wreath, a symbol used to anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, by lighting four candles—3 purple, 1 pink—each corresponding to a week leading up to Christmas. What you may not be familiar with, however, is the tradition that gives each of these candles a specific theme for the faithful to meditate on during that week. The theme of the first candle is hope. In everyday speech, hope usually conveys a desire for a favorable outcome amidst an unknown future: i.e. one may hope for a salary increase or specific present. However, I would like to spend a few moments reflecting on what the Church means when speaking of the theological virtue of hope, and as such give you something to reflect upon this upcoming week.
As defined in the Catechism, hope is “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1817). Central to this definition are 3 components: heavenly desire, confidence, and God’s goodness. Hope is an exercise of desire, not for earthly happiness, but of something beyond and greater than this life: eternal Beatitude. That we are called to this we ought to have a confident expectation, not because we ourselves are good and can merit it, but rather because God the Father promised it to us through his son Jesus Christ, sending the Holy Spirit to help us in our daily lives. This virtue is itself a gift from God, allowing us to remember His goodness and faithfulness even when we encounter our own shortcomings. Hope allows us to focus more on God’s mercy and goodness and less on our own sinfulness.
What was just said about hope in so many words above is perhaps better exemplified by the life of St. Therese of Lisieux. St. Therese, also known as the Little Flower, was a Carmelite sister in France who died in 1873 at age 24. She became immensely popular when her autobiography The Story of a Soul was published, after which many started practicing her “Little Way”. In this spirituality, St. Therese saw in her own life her littleness and poverty, and in comparing herself with other saints, felt far removed. However, instead of becoming discouraged, she exercised a great of confidence, not in her own ability, but in the mercy and Will of God the Father to bring her up to heaven. This is what led her to be able to say that “it is confidence and nothing but confidence that will lead us to love” (Story of a Soul). This pure hope in a heavenly reality that was awaiting her, not because of her own goodness but because of God’s, nevertheless allowed St. Therese to love all the more freely, knowing she was loved in return by her Heavenly Father.
During this upcoming week, as we begin to prepare ourselves to celebrate anew the entrance of the Savior into our earthly world, let us not limit our hoping to uncertain earthly things, such as to a smooth family gathering or a new gadget at Christmas, but instead refocus our desires towards the reality of eternal life and ultimate Beatitude, hoping “in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will” (CCC 1821).
