For the Second Sunday of Advent…
Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4
Advent is a filled with hope—we await Christ’s coming! We wait to celebrate both the long-ago birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, and his promised Second Coming at the end of time. We have this great hope, because it has its source in God himself. St. Paul’s wisdom here invites us to firmly believe that God’s Word is trustworthy. Similarly, in Food for the Soul, scholar Peter Kreeft expounds on Paul’s exhortation:
Hope is not just optimism. Optimism is only a human feeling or thought or desire. Optimism comes from us, but hope comes from God. Hope is a gift of God. God the Holy Spirit is the giver of this gift. And God is also the object of hope. What we hope for is not our own desires and longings, which are uncertain, but God’s promises, which are certain.
As we come to the Lord’s table at Mass this Sunday, let us draw near to God with renewed hope for our time. And let us pray to continue to grow in this vital virtue of hope, as this hope-themed Jubilee begun by Pope Francis and concludes under Pope Leo XIV in the days ahead.
God of Endurance and Encouragement, help me to place all my hope in you. You are the source of all hope for all people, now and for all time.
