This Sunday we begin the new Church year as we celebrate the first Sunday of the season of Advent. Each of the four weeks of the Advent season are often assigned a theme. The theme we will consider for this first week is Hope. What is Hope as outlined in sacred scripture and tradition? We commonly use the word hope to describe an emotion. Hope is usually an emotive experience for something that we desire (hopefully something that is good!). It may be difficult to achieve but it is possible. But in this week of Advent, we look to something far more than this. What we look to is the theological virtue of Hope. A virtue that helps us grow our relationship with God. A virtue in this sense is a grace given by God. It is God who makes the relationship possible. It is God who seeks a real relationship with all of us. A relationship either grows or withers depending if we are active participants or not. Like any relationship, our relationship with God takes time and active participation.

The virtue of Hope is the founding block of our relationship with God, our trust. When we express our Hope, we are confirming our trust in the promises that Jesus has made. That Jesus through his death and Resurrection has defeated sin and death. The Hope we have is in Jesus as our Saviour. This is not a kind of desire. It is a Hope that is our trust in Jesus.

God Bless you

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