The Holy Spirit - Giver of Hope By now, we should all realize that God the Holy Spirit tends to work in the quiet of our hearts, in the beauty of the every day, in the slow but sure passing of the years. One thing we learn from the Advent readings is that God is in charge of history and will fulfill our dreams for peace and freedom. But seldom does God do fantastic miracles or tremendous works of wonder. Some would say that shows the powerlessness of God, but we Christians say that shows that God prefers to bring us along gradually and helps us realize his strong sure hand in history. HOPE is the virtue God the Holy Spirit gives us to recognize his presence in our daily lives. Hope is not wishful thinking or unrealistic dreaming. For the Christian, hope is the realization that God is here now and that he will never leave us alone. Hope sees the strong, sure hand of God and trusts that God will not abandon his people. That's why both the prophet Baruch and Luke the Evangelist can be so joyful in our readings today. Hope is our strong belief that God keeps his promises! God has promised to send a Redeemer and Christ is coming! God has promised that justice will triumph and Christ is coming to give that justice! God has promised and God will deliver! That is what Christian hope is about. It's a great virtue to have in this cynical time we live in. As the Psalmist says "Trust in God! Hope in him, hold firm and take heart! Hope in the Lord!"
This information has been
reprinted from Holy Cross' Sunday Bulletins |
