A first essential setting for learning hope is prayer. When no one listens to me any more, God still listens to me. When I can no longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, I can always talk to God. When there is no longer anyone to help me deal with a need or expectation that goes beyond the human capacity for hope, he can help me. When I have been plunged into complete solitude … if I pray I am never totally alone.
Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
In the book of Proverbs Solomon tells us: If you cry out for wisdom and raise your voice for understanding, if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord.
We must begin by crying out for wisdom. We must hand over to our intellect the duty of making every decision. We must look for wisdom and search for it. Then we must understand the fear of the Lord .. For us the fear of God consists wholly in love .. Our love for God is entrusted with its own responsibility: to observe his counsels, to obey his laws, to trust his promises.
We must ask for these many ways, we must travel along these many ways, to find the one that is good. That is, we shall find the one way of eternal life through the guidance of many teachers. These ways are found in the law, in the prophets, in the gospels, in the writings of the apostles, in the different good works by which we fulfill the commandments. Blessed are those who walk these ways in the fear of the Lord.
Saint Hilary of Poitiers
Photos by Jeffrey Bruno
“He who knows how to forgive prepares for himself many graces from God.
As often as I look upon the cross, so often will I forgive with all my heart.”
“Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized;
“I will not allow myself to be so absorbed in the whirlwind of work as to forget about God.
I will spend all my free moments at the feet of the Master hidden in the Blessed Sacrament.”
“’My daughter, have fear of nothing; I am always with you. All your adversaries will harm you only to the degree that I permit them to do so. You are my dwelling place and my constant repose. For your sake I will withhold the hand which punishes; for your sake I bless the earth.’”
image from stainedglassinc
