A Meditation on Hope

              As my generation progressed through childhood, we memorized many prayers unfamiliar to children of today—Acts of Faith, Hope, Love; O Saving Victim; Anima Christi; Look Down and others. In times of distraction, blankness, busyness, these are automatic reminders. Community Liturgy of the Hours over the years has implanted psalms or their verse in memory as well. All of these fruits of the past move me to deeper pondering or reflection.

               In these early months of 2012 with conflict, violence, poverty, selfishness, animosity and natural disasters so prominent in our world, I find myself repeating the old memorized acts of faith, hope, love. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that these virtues have a three-fold strength: faith and hope are two inseparable moments of one action with love the joining force in the center. Without hope faith is weakened and love is blocked. For me this is a challenging concept for meditation on God and today’s world. I am moved to reflect on hope, perhaps because of the impact of two favorite people—Blessed John Henry whose whole life exemplifies these theological virtues and Emily Dickinson.

 Newman’s hope is evident in his conviction: “God has created me to do some special service; God has committed some work to me which has not been committed to another. I have a mission…therefore I will trust God—whatever, wherever I am. If I am in sickness, my sickness will serve God; if I am in perplexity, my perplexity will serve God; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow will serve God. God will never leave nor forsake me. I am in God’s keeping.” This reflection on God’s providence is for me an anchor of trust and hope, unitng faith and love.

               And then there is Emily Dickinson who wrote some of my very favorite lines:

               Hope is the thing with feathers

               That perches in the soul

               And sing the tune without words,

               And never stops at all.

Emily’s poetic definition of hope touches my imagination and moves my heart to what I hope is greater faith and love.

The lives of John Henry Newman and Emily Dickinson and their words can be a source of inspiration and hope as one ages in our changing world.

               Sr. Andrea Collopy