What is the basis for your hope?

[Wm777]

My parish began it’s Lenten Mission this evening, and we began by discussing the meaning of hope.

The speaker discerned “hope” from “wishful thinking” a few different ways. For example, wishful thinking is something unattainable, like a regret, where one might say “I wish I hadn’t done that…”; whereas hope is something attainable, like perhaps saying a prayer for the well-being of others.

One other interesting thing about hope is - there has to be a basis for it to make it real… It got me wondering - what is the basis for your hope in the things we pray for and ask of God?

Bear in mind, we can’t always expect God to do everything for us… He expects us to work and make sacrifices and so on… But when we make an offering of sorts, or place a petition, why is it (i.e. what is the basis upon which) we hope the petition might be fulfilled?

Trying to make sense of this.

God’s Blessings,

Wm

 

[Trishie]

Our basis for hope in in prayer comes from God’s promises based in the truth that God is love and God loves us.

“If you have hope this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.” [Romans 12:12]

“We are quite confident that if we ask Him for anything, and it is in accordance with His will, He will hear us; and knowing that whatever we ask, He hears us, we know that we have already been granted what we asked of Him.” [John 5:14-15]

“If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm.” [James 5:13] “Pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God.” [Thessalonians 4:18]

Jesus promises, “Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches, always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake when he asks for a fish? … How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” [Matthew 7:7-11] “Your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him.” [Matthew 6:9]

Jesus commands, “When you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.” [Mark 11:25] Jesus urges us to pray humbly, without ostentation, “Go into your private room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” [Matthew 6:6] Jesus also says, “if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.” [Matthew 18:19-20]

Yet when one has prayed faithfully and zealously, with no apparent result, then Scripture reminds us that, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed He will save. Many are the trials of the just person but from them all, the Lord will rescue him.” [Psalm 33:2, 6]

“There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7]

When God’s response seems slow “Everything will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind.” [1Peter 4:7] “To You, a thousand years are a single day, a yesterday now over, an hour of the night.” [Psalm 90:4]

Paul pledges that the “Spirit…comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit Himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what He means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God. [Romans 8:26, 27]

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.” [John 14:1]

 

[Seeksadvice]

Hope is the first step in the road to disappointment

 

[Wm777]

I’m sorry, but I’m not sure why you are speaking as such.

Hope is the first step in the road to disappointment

As Catholics, Faith Hope and Love are the top three Theological Virtues which we live by, so it’s probably important to understand the consequences of what you are saying.

Maybe you are just kidding around, or a visiting non-Catholic… which I guess would make it okay… but please know I meant the question sincerely and not intending to sound despondent or despairing in any way…

 

[Dlee]

Protestant Song: The Solid Rock
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest fame, but wholey lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

As the Divine Mercy prayer says, “For Jesus is our hope; through his merciful heart, as through an open gate, we pass through to Heaven.”
As St. Faustina noted, Jesus is the person of the Trinity that stands for Hope. God the Father stands for Faith and God the Holy Spirit stands for Charity aka Love.

Jesus is also the one who said that God our father would give us good things, just as the human father wouldn’t give his child a snake when he asked for a fish. If God decides he doesn’t want to give me something, it’s because he knows it’s not good for me. All I have to do is think back on some of the guys I was really anxious to date before I met my husband, to know that God was right in saying No a few times and directing me to my husband instead.

One has to simply trust Jesus like Peter did when he walked on water. When he lost his trust in Jesus, he started to sink. As long as we trust in Jesus we can have hope.

 

[Wm777]

As I read the responses, which are good and fine for the most part, it nevertheless might be best to clarify what I’m asking…

(This is no fault on the part of the readers, but my own, which is also why I asked the question… so I can myself discern what I am asking all the better…)

I think what I mean is, for instance, take a real life issue you have had to confront, and recall the decisions you had to make surrounding the resolution of that issue…

Suppose, for instance, you had a daughter and she became unintentionally pregnant, or a son who got a girl pregnant out of wedlock… Working through that situtation alone would present so many issues and decisions - many of which could be hard to deal with - it is easy to see why people might be very mad and not particularly hopeful in upholding the virtues at all…

That’s only one hypothetical example, btw… I could name countless others… a child caught stealing, a relative who is sick, children dealing with aging parents, labor disputes, missing mass due to a half-cold, fighting over a cap off the toothpaste, and so on…

Somehow - we have to work through all of it… somehow we have to place hope in something to decide how we should conduct ourselves…

Returning to the original question concerning an unexpected pregnancy… as one particular situation, which I have never been in, and am just using as an example… I guess what I am saying is…

When it comes to such situations in your own lives… how did you use hope to pull through?

There must be a very real relevance to hope. The principles we learn in church must somehow give us hope. While we can expect God to support us - it must be in how we turn to Him… something He gave us to live by that makes the biggest difference…

Does that help make more sense of my query?

 

[Wm777]

As St. Faustina noted, Jesus is the person of the Trinity that stands for Hope. God the Father stands for Faith and God the Holy Spirit stands for Charity aka Love.

That’s a helpful discernment. Thank you.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

Because I’ve seen difficult situations turn around by the power of prayer that really seemed to have a supernatural character to the circumstances.

 

[po18guy]

Hope is a theological virtue. Yet, it is based on both faith as well as reason. In my case, I look not just to the scriptures, but to the martyrs! Men and women who lined up to die for the faith. No one willingly dies for a lie. Additionally, my hope has been bolstered by the Holy Spirit in the spiritual realm.

Far, far from wishful thinking (which is in truth, fantasy), it is, as Saint Paul wrote, a “sure hope” and “hope does not disappoint.”

Romans 5:1-5 and Romans 8 are good reads concerning hope.

 

[sudy]

what is the basis for your hope in the things we pray for and ask of God?

Our hope comes from Christ telling us to ask, seek, knock. We are to align our own will with the will of God, and pray accordingly ‘Let thy will be done’.

That’s only one hypothetical example, btw… I could name countless others… a child caught stealing, a relative who is sick, children dealing with aging parents, labor disputes

In the examples you’ve use, I don’t think that hope is the right word. I think that trust is more appropriate. We can hope that a sick relative won’t die, yet we know that regardless of the result we’d like, we won’t necessarily get it because we aren’t promised a life of smooth sailing, rather that we may be called to be martyrs, or to suffer for Christ. Trust relates more to accepting the outcome that God wills, and not necessarily what we will. We place ourselves into God’s hands and don’t worry about the outcomes.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I’m in the middle of a situation right now that leaves me full of hope.

I’ve been dealing with an illness since the beginning of the year. I was released from the hospital after two weeks of testing and scans and am currently in a rehab facility trying to build up strength and independence again. I feel like I should be massively depressed to be in this situation. I’m uncertain about the future and worried about it. But somehow, it’s all right. People have been supportive and generous. No matter what is happening, I feel a sense of God’s presence more than I’ve felt in a long, long time.

Maybe it’s the promises of all those Psalms I’ve recited over the years. God is ever faithful, always there. He will not allow you to stumble. The angels will guard you. Whatever it is, I feel hopeful in the middle of this particular storm of my life.

I don’t suppose I’m making any sense, but it’s there and is real.

 

[Dlee]

Without my hope and faith in God, I would have faced these type of trials alone, on my own. I can’t imagine going through life without Christ at my side, giving him all my disappointments and praying for strength and direction.

 

[Wm777]

I have a debilitating medical condition as well, although mine is much different, and my interactions with God have been much different, too.

The problem (I have aspergers) has ultimately drawn me back to God. I dont know if I’d say find hope in it, as I am actually probably one of the most rejected people you could ever meet, but I feel a love and faith in Jesus, God and Mary… and all the Saints, and even our brethren… but hope is a bit different because - well, when one has asperger’s, it’s kind of like one lives in one’s own mind, which is fine in a way - but I find my own ideas and prayers seem to somehow lack relevance to what could be really helpful to others…

That is why I am asking what the basis of people’s hope is… I figure, if I could understand what’s really driving a people’s hopes in prayer and faith, then maybe I could tap into a relevant apostolic mission in whatever work I can do for the church…

With respect to what you are saying, it sounds like the time for fulfillment is at hand… for all the prayers you have said, you are now finding the helps you need, and that is inspiring you to make new realization about the work of God in your life…

 

[Wm777]

Does that make you feel like you have a companion in Christ? Or do you mean like the word of God elevates you above the trials? Or maybe both?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

With respect to what you are saying, it sounds like the time for fulfillment is at hand… for all the prayers you have said, you are now finding the helps you need, and that is inspiring you to make new realization about the work of God in your life…

What a beautiful way off putting it. You get me exactly.

 

[fin]

Because if I do not have hope, what else do I have? This is the only thing I have, to hope that God gives me a yes.

Nevertheless, in this state where what I desire has not happened yet, I am also happy, because what else could I be? If I am miserable, i will just add to my suffering.

 

[fide]

The Catechism has two paragraphs explicitly about the essence of the theological virtues. I’ll paste them here - they are worth careful and prayerful reading; there is truth here:

1812 The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man’s faculties for participation in the divine nature:<Cf. 2 Pet 1:4> for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object.
1813 The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.<Cf. 1 Cor 13:13>

Especially this: “They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object.”

Contrast this, the truth of the supernatural and God-infused virtues: supernatural faith, supernatural hope, and supernatural and divine love (holy charity), with the common natural virtues that people often (and sadly) substitute for these precious gifts from God. People - even Christians, even Catholics - substitute natural faith, natural hope, and natural human love, which are not God-infused but are humanly acquired from human experience and education and reasoning. Such human works are a poor substitute for the divine gifts. To be trustworthy, the human virtues must be “rooted” in the theological ones, as the Catechism implies.

 

[Dlee]

I would say both, Christ is my constant companion, and the word of God (scriptures) assure me of such.

 

[Seeksadvice]

One obviously isn’t familiar with Warhammer 40,000

On a real-life grim-dark tone, I see the worst in humanity as part of my job. Even at a “small town” or “small state” scale, it tends to demonstrate that hope indeed is the first step in the road to disappointment.

Hope is something that was burned out of me by the crucible of life a long time ago. And, yes, I am Catholic.