Faith is the basis of life, and charity is its crown; but hope is its greatest need. Most of the difficulties of life come because man is so prone to lose heart. His distractions in prayer suggest to him that he was not meant for such high acts. His weekly tale of sins at confession seems to imply by its almost identical repetition that it is useless for him to continue his efforts at “a firm purpose of amendment.” ...Failure counts for nothing; defeat, disappointment — these matter nothing at all, so long as only hope sits patiently, stirring the embers, watching and tending the fire, coaxing the flame, never despairing and never leaving the wind to work its will. That the clouds should come up over the sky, or that darkness should encircle the earth, brings no real terrors, for we are sure that the dawn will come out again and that the sun will break through with its golden glory.- Bede Jarrett, OP (from Meditations for Layfolk; quoted in Magnificat, July 2010, meditation for Monday the 26th, pp. 359-60)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A Different Way of Seeing Hope: Hope sitting patiently, stirring the embers of your heart
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I can't tell how much I loved this reflection by the good Bede Jarrett, Aramis. I see so much that I am doing now - from lifting weights, walk/running, studying, etc. - as sitting "patiently, stirring the embers, watching and tending the fire, coaxing the flame, never despairing and never leaving the wind to work its will."
Bravo, Bede! Cheers
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