Charles Péguy (1873-1914), a French poet and philosopher, described Hope as a little girl walking hand in hand with her two big sisters, Faith and Love. One gets amazed at seeing Little Hope walk with her sisters. While the two older sisters seem to guide her, Little Hope appears to be the one pulling them forward.
Péguy’s image of the three theological virtues speaks of them as distinct but closely interwoven. There is no hope without faith and love. On the other hand, we can only believe and love because we hope. It is hope that gives strength to faith and love, and it is faith and love that give rise to hope.
During Advent, we focus on the virtue of hope. After all, it’s what keeps us going, living, loving, and worshipping. As Péguy proposed to his generation, childlike faith is the key to a renewed faith and love.
Hope is the “essential” virtue we need to keep us sane as we hear more of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide dying from coronavirus. Hope gives us joy when we finally learn of an effective cure to prevent the rise of more COVID-19 cases.
Hope makes us excited to come back to indoor worship and to gather and celebrate as family and friends without restrictions. Hope allows us to look forward to seeing and embracing one’s newborn grandchild, to see one’s daughter or son finally get married.
Hope makes us anticipate seeing a schoolyard filled with energetic young students running around without wearing a mask, playing and laughing together.
Hope is the relevant voice of Prophet Isaiah that cried out: “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged shall be made plain, the rough country, a broad valley.”(Is 40:3-4)
Without hope in God, we will perish as a people and a nation! Without it, we cannot even imagine the afterlife, the eternal life God promised to those who are faithful to him, to reunite with our departed loved ones.
With hope, we may not presume our one’s salvation, but we can presume God’s mercy and love to those who love him!
A liturgical scholar, Adran Nocent, wrote:
“Would it be possible to breathe without hope? Could Christians be prisoners turning around in a circle, knocking their heads on the walls of their cell, whether it be of legalism or of some ready-made affair called “the spiritual life? Does not the Christian, like every other person have the duty of cultivating a stern yet joyous discontent with the human condition? Perhaps that is what distinguishes the Christian’s hope; though it is fierce and implacable, stern and eager, it is also, paradoxically, full of joy.”
Why would our hope be full of joy? As Nocent contends, it’s because we Christians hope for what we possess—we hold Christ in our hand!
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
