Hope grounds Loretto, all people of faith, connecting them to God, one another
Posted on March 31, 2025, by Loretto Community
Can you believe it’s the Fourth Sunday of Lent already? St. Paul’s call to the Corinthians —“Be reconciled to Christ”— may sound easy to do, but it is not. This imperative from St. Paul is more than just an invitation to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or to say to God or a friend, “I’m sorry.” These words are a call to a lasting healing and peace. They are a call to change and to ready ourselves to experience the new life with Jesus at Easter. As adults, we know that Lent is about change of heart, of focus, of relationships so that we make room for love in our life.
What does God say about all this? The Prophet Joel 2:12 tells us, “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping … for God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Pick out the word in this text that means the most to you this Lent: return, fasting, heart, weeping, mercy, anger, abounding, steadfast, or love. Pick your word, remembering the reminder from another Prophet, Isaiah: 58:9. “And God says, ‘Here I am.’”
Amid the chaos of today’s world, there exists a quiet but unshakable force: hope. It anchors the heart, tethering it to something greater than the present struggles. Hope opens us to God’s power, life and love. The Psalms remind us to trust in God’s steadfast love: “As I trusted in your steadfast love, my heart will rejoice, for in you, O God, is freedom.” (Psalm 13:5).
Hope is a living metaphor for God. Do not fear, even in darkness, for we must press ahead to the future, a future full of hope. The ashes of Lent make the signs of hope concrete for they remind us of who we are and whose we are – steeped in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The flame of the Easter candle will soon call us all to freedom. Do not fear to hope. You will see its brightness.
Through prayer, hope takes shape. It grounds the faithful, connecting them to God and to one another. And though the future may seem shrouded in uncertainty, hope does not fear the unknown. Instead, it presses on, illuminating the way ahead like the flame of the Easter candle, steady and unwavering. Hope is the light that guides, the anchor that steadies, and the promise that sustains. Even in the darkest moments, hope calls out, urging all to move forward into a future rich with possibility and grace.
This week on our Facebook page, Loretto members share what makes them hopeful now and for the future and suggest ways to spread hope in small ways during difficult times.
