Peace Prayer Reflection: Where there is despair, hope

By: Lilian Cristina Pinheiro OSF

Etymologically, hope means "trust in something positive." It is a dynamic waiting, a time dedicated to building something of larger greatness, an advent. In postmodern society, hope has been replaced by immediate gratification, by consumption. Despair is not being able to acquire a product in a short time or discovering that there are no human solutions to many painful situations in life.

Bringing hope to the world today is to leave the world of concrete materialism and move to the world of feelings which are able to lead to concrete works. It is to accept the love of Christ, who patiently awaits us with open arms and welcomes us. It was from this encounter with the Crucified One, Who pours out love from the cross, that Francis came to have "perfect charity and firm hope." It is love that fills us totally and definitively, that helps us endure adversity and continue on.