ADVENT HOPE

It isn’t    I    

John August Swanson

 It isn't often that I use this BLOG for personal opinions- or things which tend to be controversial. All who know me know that I am passionate about many things and have strong ideas which can often lead to arguments. but one thing I cannot stand is to see the way so many youth of today are throwing away their lives... either through neglect by parents, lack of moral education, or just a disregard for life.  We only have to tune into the daily news to see how youth are killing themselves or one another. The recent tragedy in Paris is a prime example.

Our society today lacks HOPE which is the last virtue to flee the soul. Our youth have nothing to live for so it is easy to disregard life. I realize that most who read this are part of the "choir" and are doing or have done their part, but maybe even though your children have left the nest that responsibility goes on...with grandchildren, or children in one's Church or children in the neighborhood. Yes, I know, none of us wants to get too involved as it may raise the hackles of a parent or teacher or whomever.  Even if prayer is what we have it is still an active way to help the youth of the day.

This Advent we all need to be more focused on what the season is all about...HOPE, JOY, PEACE  and LOVE! So each week I would like to take one of these virtues for meditation for us all.  Maybe when we come to the Lord's Birthday, we will have a little more to offer this year, especially for the youth of our world. Pope Benedict described Advent as the season of hope "par excellance". By the virtue of hope we trust that God will provide us with the graces necessary for our salvation. 

Advent is very pertinent to our present age, which does not trust anything that is not material. Hope is humble confidence that God won't give up on us. Hope is the virtue that is critical for survival in life. We won't survive without it. We die physically (hence so many suicides), emotionally (so many with mental problems) and spiritually (so many on drugs). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1817) says:  Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life as our happiness... relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

In this season  as we again invite the Lord into our hearts, trusting in His mercy and love, and renewing our faith in His salvation, let us try to spread some of our own faith and hope to others who do not get the message of the season!

Dawn of Hope- Daniel Gerhartz, USA