Hope

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Hope


"Should anyone ask you the reason for this hope of yours, be ever ready to reply, but speak gently and respectfully."
1 Peter 3:15

For Reflection:
One way we can instill hope in others is to have our story of God's mercy in our own life ready to share with them. What is one way God worked in your life that gave you hope in the midst of travail? Work at putting this into a two minute testimony so you will be "ever ready to reply." Hint: Divide your story into three parts and pick the highlights from each. The three parts of your story should be "I was, Jesus did, I am"
Women of Grace Daily Grace Lines

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Hope


"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare not for woe, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

For Reflection:
How have I seen this come true in my own life, especially after a time of sorrow and suffering? What does this tell us about God?
Women of Grace Daily Grace Lines

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Hope


"No test has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13

For Reflection:
What virtues have I acquired in times of suffering? How have they provided a "way out" so that I was able to endure?

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Hope


"God is not a deceiver that he should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us."
St. Augustine

For Reflection:
Sometimes God is not readily apparent in our need, so we fear that He is not with us and we place no hope in Him. However, the fact may be that we are not looking for Him hidden in the wrappings of our suffering. Dare we look, we will find Him attentive to our need, patiently providing every grace we need. He desires only that we search and find that He is there and His grace is sufficient. Am I willing to do this today?

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Hope


"Consider seriously how quickly people change, and how little trust is to be had in them; and hold fast to God, who does not change."
St. Teresa of Avila

For Reflection:
Many people today place their hope in pop psychology and self-help books. While good counsel is always beneficial in a time of need, it must be counsel that is rooted in Christ. See tomorrow's Grace Line to find out why.

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Hope


"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the water that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; in the year of the drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit."
Jeremiah 17: 7- 8

For Reflection:
What are the benefits to placing our trust in God? Paraphrase the Scripture passage above to reflect your insights and write it in your journal so you will have it there when needed.

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Hope


"If our hopes in Christ are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of men."
I Cor. 15:19

For Reflection:
Hope is the theological virtue that directs us toward eternal life. Why do you think seeking Christ only for temporal needs make us "pitiable?"

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Hope


"Brothers, I do not think of myself as having reached the finish line. I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me - life on high in Christ Jesus. All of us who are spiritually mature must have this attitude."
Philippians 3: 13- 15

For Reflection:
What is the "finish line" according to St. Paul? How does he exhibit hope in achieving it? Am I spiritually mature by St. Paul's definition? Read tomorrow's Grace Line to see how we can come to "full stature in Christ Jesus."

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Hope


"Wherefore with full assurance let us partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, that thou be made of the same body and blood with Him. For thus we come to bear Christ in us."
St. Cyril of Jerusalem

For Reflection:
What quality of heart must we bring to the Sacrament to make it efficacious in us according to St. Cyril? Read 2 Peter 1:4. What does he tell us?

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Hope


"Wait upon the Lord: wait upon Him patiently, wait upon Him by avoiding all sin. He will come; doubt it not. To this firm hope, join the practice of virtue, and even in this life you will begin to taste the ineffable joys of Paradise."
St. Bernard

For Reflection:
What great spiritual advice St. Bernard gives us! Which part of this quote speaks most to your heart and why? How can you begin to cooperate with grace to see it through?

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Hope


A Hope-Filled Prayer
O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, may my soul ever yearn
Towards Thee:
May my soul seek Thee, find Thee, tend
Towards attainment of Thee,
Ever meditate on Thee,
And do all things to the praise and glory of
Thy Holy Name.
Do Thou alone be my hope,
My whole trust,
My delight,
My joy,
My rest,
My peace and my sweet contentment.
Do Thou alone be my refuge and my help,
My wisdom and my possession,
My treasure in whom my heart and
my soul remain fixed immovably,
Forever.
Amen
St. Bonaventure

For Reflection:
I will pray this prayer from my heart, uniting myself to Jesus Christ my Lord, confident in the mercy of the Father and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

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Blessed Mother


Mary, Virgin and Mother

Oh, Virgin Joy of all the world art thou,
In whose white, fragrant steps the countless throng
On souls elect doth follow God with song:
Creation's Queen, whose bright and holy brow
The multitude of Saints, like stars, endow
With changeful splendors, flashing far and strong:
The Main unshadow'd by the primal wrong:
God's Lily, chosen in His shrine to bow.

All these thy glories are, and still a grace
More high, more dread, and yet more sweet and fair,
Doth bind thy royal brows, O Mary blest.
God called thee Mother; yea, His sacred face
The tender likeness of thine own doth wear.
And thou art ours --- we trust Him for the rest.
E. Seton

For Reflection:
The saintly poet ends with the proclamation that Mary is our mother. Have I accepted her as such? Why or why not? To what extent have I seen her maternal influence in my life?