I have had an exhausting week. I will spare you the gruesome details but with sickness striking our family, we haven't had a solid night of sleep in over a week. And so tonight, with everyone in recovery, I prayed for a good night's rest. In fact, I pleaded with the Lord to watch over my children and grant us uninterrupted sleep. I then went to bed with a hopeful heart...
But here I am, writing this to you at 12:01 a.m. from the rocking chair with a coughing toddler in my arms who needed some water.
As you read last week in Leah's post Jubilee of Hope 2025: What is a Jubilee Year?, Pope Francis has declared the Jubilee year 2025 as a year of hope! He adopted the words of St. Paul the Apostle and proclaimed Spes Non Confundit, “Hope does not disappoint,” as an encouraging message for all.
In his guiding letter, Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, Pope Francis wrote, "For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the "door" (Jn 10:7) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as "our hope" (1 Tim 1:1)."
Let's be honest, hope can sometimes result in disappointment. Wouldn't you agree that it can be risky business to place our hope in something? Hope involves vulnerability, and anytime we are vulnerable, there is a chance of getting hurt. There is a risk of disappointment. So what is St. Paul getting at when he tells the Romans, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5).”
If we look at another translation (New International Version) of this guiding Bible passage, “Hope does not put us to shame”, we see that the word "disappoint" is replaced with the word "shame."
How would it read if we replaced the word "hope" with the one in whom we are to place our hope, "God"? It would declare, "God does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
We have a God of hope. A God who doesn’t punish. A God who does not condemn us with shame. A God who doesn’t make bad or disappointing things happen but wills them knowing that’s where our transformation happens in preparation for heaven.
I was placing my hope in obtaining a full night of sleep, not in God.
Experiencing yet another interrupted night of sleep was just an extra chance to practice separating my circumstances from the assumptions I have about God…
I am awake because God doesn’t see or care about my needs.
I am awake because I didn’t pray enough today and I am being punished.
I am awake because I need more sanctification.
I am awake because…and the list could go on.
The reality is, I’m awake because my 2 year old needed water. It has nothing to do with who God is.
Pope Francis points out in his letter that St Paul is a realist. St. Paul writes to the Romans recognizing that life has its joys and sorrows, that love is tested amid trials, and that hope can alter in the face if suffering. Still St. Paul says, “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4).” This Jubilee year is an invitation to transform all suffering into a place of hope!
Loving Lord, source of all goodness and hope, we open our hearts to You! Illuminate the areas in each of our lives where grave hopelessness has settled. Transform us in preparation for salvation through our suffering. Open our minds so that we may be made aware of the areas where we have placed our hope in outcomes and not in You. Purify our hearts and rewire our beliefs about Your character and who You are. Thank You for all that You have done in our lives, and we praise You for all that You will do! May You grant each of us the grace to live virtuous lives with faith, hope, and love as our guide. Amen.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Abby
