Dear Friends,
As you know, beginning last year in anticipation for the Jubilee Year, the Church has been focusing on the virtue of hope, asking all men and women to be praying, thinking and perhaps acting with this particular focus in our lives as consecrated persons–pilgrims of hope on the path to peace.
What is hope? And do we cultivate this theological virtue, living in Confident Expectation: a firm belief and certainty in God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises, which is…Rooted in Christ and His Resurrection: the ultimate evidence for our hope. Do we…Focus on God’s Promises: with an unwavering confidence in God’s word and His ultimate plan for eternal life with Him.
And do we cultivate hope as…A Source of Strength: this firm assurance provides courage to face life’s challenges, resist temptation, and overcome setbacks.
How we as consecrated seculars have practiced this virtue as individuals and institutes has been the subject of our annual conferences, the subcommittee of the bishops’ conferences, and in the recesses of our hearts.
And we ask ourselves: do our daily lives reflect this hope, this peaceful and confident path we are on to each person we encounter so as to draw them onto this path? Does our gratitude for life and the source of life in the Eucharist reveal itself to others even without their knowing it? We hope so!
Sue Larkin
