Hope (07/19/2025)

Years ago, my niece wanted a “big black dog.” That was her hope and she expressed it frequently. She had a profound yearning for a “big black dog.” And every time I saw her, I would ask, “Has your dad gotten you your ‘big black dog’? And she always answered, “Not yet.” And it always made me smile. For such a young girl, she had already come to understand the importance of hope in her life, the stuff of resiliency.

In my circle of friends is a woman who sends out messages of faith, hope and love every morning to nearly a hundred people. She does it in hopes that her messages will make a difference in the lives of these people who matter to her. She shares her faith by sharing her time and resources. She shares her love graciously and generously. And she does this day after day because she understands hope. Hope motivates us and strengthens us even in those rough stretches of life.

When I gather with the grief group, I am always touched by the pain they carry with grace and the way they get up and keep on keeping on. I am also always touched by the way they share the journey with one another. If there is one place in my month where hope reigns, it is in this group of individuals. Their hope allows them to keep going. Their faith tells them that their loved ones aren’t lost, but rather just not visible to them at this time. Their love continues to fuel their lives. And their hope is aiding them in this painful journey – their hope in the LORD’s promise that this life is not the end.

As I write, I think of the man in our parish who gives his time to bring communion to others. He believes in the Eucharist and the power of receiving Christ wholly into our being. He goes to where people are and brings them not only the Eucharist but hope. He prays with them. He cares about them. He shares his faith with them. And his presence and gift of self, especially his loving hope for those he visits influences the present feelings of those individuals positively.

And I can’t think about hope without thinking about the multitude of individuals in our community who give their time, their energy, their gas to bring food to the food pantry and to help in its distribution to those in need who come to them in hopes of securing that which they need, the physical essentials for themselves and their families. And in the process, these individuals are sharing their spiritual faith lovingly and their hope lifts all.

Years ago, when I was earning my master’s degree, the professor shared with the class the story of one of the cruel experiments conducted by the Nazis in a particular concentration camp. The Nazis gathered a large group of hardy men, gave them modest but sufficient dwellings, fed them nutritious food three times a day. These hardy men were tasked with digging a huge hole to very detailed specifications. They spent weeks of hard labor doing it. When they had completed their work, the administrators measured it in front of the men to make sure it was up to specifications. Once it was determined that they had done what they’d been tasked to do, they were told to fill the hole back in.

The men in this “test” went through this cycle of hard work to reach a goal and then having to destroy what they had worked to accomplish over and over again. And in time, the men lost hope. They quit eating. They quit thriving. In spite of their special treatment, they were actually dying at a faster rate than those in the camp who were struggling with hunger. The test showed how important hope is in our human mind and heart.

The LORD, our God, has given us life and showers us with grace and love. We believe in our LORD God and our faith illuminates our lives and helps us navigate it. We are called to love our LORD with our whole being and to love one another as we love ourselves. And throughout our lives, it is our hope – our trust in the LORD and the LORD’s love and promises to us  -  that lift us up, give us resiliency in difficult circumstances, strengthen our resolve - because we know that spending our love well matters, and it aids us in overcoming obstacles and tragedies. And through it all, the hope in life with our LORD limited now will be awesome in the future.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.