Sowing Hope (10/11/2026)

“LORD, make me an instrument of your peace…Where there is despair, let me sow hope.”  I pray the Peace Prayer daily, twice a day. In the morning, it is my morning offering, helping me to set the stage for my “mission” that day. In the evening, it is my examination of conscience. How did I do with those “if”s?

This week, for several reasons ranging from personal, up close experiences to the storms ravaging our nation, despair and hope have been on my mind. Despair has a human face. It’s not an emotional theory, it is a physical, mental and spiritual reality. You may not see it daily in your circle of family or friends, in your neighborhood or community, but it is real. So very many people struggle in this life with despair, not knowing which way to turn or to whom to turn. Discouraged beyond consolation, often feeling abandoned or isolated, our brothers and sisters who experience despair see no path forward, no help coming.

At times despair arises because of natural events such as the total destruction of an area due to earthquakes or storms like hurricane Isaias that hit the southern states this weekend where all is lost and the individuals cannot see past the destruction. At times despair arises because of poverty with no visible avenue out and no hope of resources. Imagine watching your child starve or suffer from illness with no access to care or with a diagnosis that holds out no hope. At times despair arises because of choices that led to devastating losses. And at times despair arises because of an earlier trauma that compromises one’s ability to cope.

There are so many reasons why despair rises within our modern world. But we have to ask, is there any reason that makes one unworthy of compassion, dignity, and the love of the LORD we carry within us?

We who follow Jesus Christ know of the hope that buoys the spirit even in the darkest of times. For our LORD is faithful and trustworthy. And when we encounter another in despair, we must, out of love, reach out, for our LORD commanded us to love one another as he has loved us. He saved us when we could not save ourselves. And his love sends us out in authentic charity to meet people where they are with faith, hope and love.

We can do so much to be bearers of the Spirit’s grace of hope to those who despair for we know to our core of the depth and breadth of the LORD’s love for each of us and what is possible because of that love. Our kindness, our accompaniment on the journey, our outreach in the form of providing the necessities of life, our respect of the individual, can all sow seeds of hope in the life and spirit of another.

Trusting in the LORD, we are called to reach out in love to those who are struggling, to be present to them, to give them our time and to share with them what resources we can.  Our witness to Christ through our authentic love of others may seem inadequate, but we believe in Christ’s ability to multiple what is at hand.

Until tomorrow, love well.