Isaiah
40:31
“They that hope in the Lord will renew
their strength. …” Surprisingly, when looking up HOPE in an online dictionary,
the first of many definitions was “one of the three Christian virtues.” Of course, they are referring to the three
theological virtues – for surely, we are not limited to only three Christian
virtues! Hope is indeed a virtue; it is
more than wishing for a favorable outcome to a difficulty or a good grade on an
exam; hope becomes virtuous as we place whole-hearted confidence in God when we
can’t comprehend his plan, believing that our Lord sees the bigger picture …
that God will bestow abundant grace to strengthen our weariness and abate our
fears.
Mother Pauline practiced the virtue of hope to a
heroic degree as testified to in the beatification process. Her heart was centered on God throughout her
life and she continuously hoped in God’s providence. Never is this clearer than during the fateful
time of the Kulturkampf. Experiencing closure after closure of firmly
established and well-loved ministries was a crushing blow even for the
sturdiest and most trusting of hearts.
If Mother Pauline hadn’t remained steadfast in hope and trust at such a
time, the Sisters of Christian Charity wouldn’t be in the Americas today. A
familiar maxim of Mother Pauline written in 1872 is proof positive that hope
can be a guiding light in the midst of darkest night: “The dear Lord does all things well. Let us therefore praise and bless him at all
times and cheerfully continue along life’s way.” In the midst of our own daily storms, both
little and big, and during this season of hope-filled Advent waiting, let us
HOPE in the Lord and “soar as with eagles’ wings!”
Reach out today to someone whose world is on
shaky ground, and encourage him or her with a hope-filled message from the
Scriptures or Mother Pauline.
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