“More than a feelin’…”

Hope.  The great poet, Emily Dickinson, wrote:

 “Hope” is the thing with feathers –

That perches in the soul –

And sings the tune without the words –

And never stops – at all[1]

We readily say to one another, “Don’t give up hope.”  Yet, we rarely talk about what that really means.  We “hope” for certain things to happen – specific tangible things.  But the kind of hope I’m pondering just is – it runs beneath the surface of our lives and surges to the surface as God’s remedy for despair.  Christian hope has, at its core, the truth of the paschal mystery – that God is with us in life, in suffering, in death and beyond.  We don’t need to tap into hope when we are on top of the world.  We become most conscious of the power of hope in our lives when things aren’t going quite so well. Hope moves us beyond ourselves and into the reality of God’s love for us.  It enables human beings to live as if everything will be ok.  It will because of Christ.

Hope gives joy to the poor whom we think possess so little. Hope gives courage to dying – shores up their faith for the journey ahead. Hope carries the grieving  – teaches the widow and orphan to laugh again. Hope moves us to give when others have lost everything – helps us to perceive our profound interconnectedness half a world away. Hope infuses the soul when we least expect it and need it the most.

I feel hopeful today.  It’s more than a feeling.  I know it is pure grace.  I know it is a gift.

Faith, hope and love to you all…

Vicki

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[1] The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999)