In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we are asked to not forget the importance of love in bringing forth greater hope in our lives.
Love. It is not just ‘what makes a Subaru a Subaru’ (as the commercial claims)... Love made the whole universe!
Love Isn’t Just a Feeling
God loved us into existence. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love” (no. 1604).
I often repeat that quote to the students we teach for Confirmation Class. Even if they have difficulty remembering anything else we said to them, I hope they will never forget this simple truth.
Love Enkindles Hope
It is groundbreaking! Every day, we can wake up with the awareness that our existence is brought about and sustained through love! Even with the frailty and sins of this world, the beauty of love is what can help enkindle hope.
As Pope Francis mentions in his Papal Bull introducing the Year of Hope:
“Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross.”
As Catholics, we believe that God did not just simply create the universe and leave it to be; He is personally and intimately involved in our lives, because God is communion through the Holy Trinity, who showed us this in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Love is a Choice
It can be hard to separate the feelings associated with love from the nature of love itself. Indeed, feelings are important and a sign for greater reflection, but as numerous theologians have expressed: love is an act of the will.
To choose love is to will to trust, and a trust in our Creator is a clear path to hope in all the unique struggles of life.
A Hope That Endures
May our love for God grow stronger every day, and our trust in His love for us bring about the hope to sustain our pilgrim lives.
"It is a hope that leaves peace and joy inside, regardless of what happens outside. It is a hope that has strong roots, which no storm of life can uproot." Pope Francis
Daniel Quintero is a stand-up comedian currently attending Mary, Mother of the Church Catholic Parish. His favorite motto: “Awkwardness does not exist.”
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
