Reflection:

The French Catholic layman Charles Péguy (1873-1914) wrote a poem that makes the virtue of hope more tangible. Written as if God the Father was speaking, Péguy wrote:

Faith is a loyal Wife.

Charity [Love] is a Mother.

An ardent mother, noble-hearted.

Or an older sister who is like a mother.

Hope is a little girl, nothing at all.

Who came into the world on Christmas day just this past year.

Who is still playing with her snowman.

 And yet it’s this little girl who will endure worlds.

This little girl, nothing at all.

She alone, carrying the others, who will cross worlds past.

Like a trembling flame.

She alone will guide the Virtues and Worlds.

One flame will pierce the eternal shadows.*

Hope is like a little girl that we see along the street during Advent. She is joyful and playful. She is little, but it seems nothing can make her lose hope.

A person with hope can endure difficulties because hope is like one flame that pierces the eternal shadows. Let us ask God for hope to work wonders in our lives.

*From Charles Péguy, The Portal of the Mystery of Hope, translated by David Louis Schindler, Jr. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), 3-10.

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank you for your precious gift of hope. Today I pray that you increase my hope, in normal times and in times of difficulty. May I be able to see myself and the world around me through the lens of hope.