My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude |
Do not depend on the hope of results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, essentially an apostolic work, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea you start more and more to concentrate not on the results but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.
Thomas Merton, in a letter to Jim Forest, 1966
Thomas Merton, in a letter to Jim Forest, 1966
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us. Saint Therese of Lisieux |
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability-- and that it may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually—let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow. Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ |
Hope
Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst. Hope opens doors where despair closes them. Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot. Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of human nature. Hope “lights a candle” instead of “cursing the darkness.” Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities. Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism. Hope sets big goals and is not frustrated by repeated difficulties or setbacks. Hope pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit. Hope puts up with modest gains, realizing that “the longest journey starts with one step.” Hope accepts misunderstandings as the price for serving the greater good of others. Hope is a good loser because it has the divine assurance of final victory. - Father James Keller, M.M, Founder, The Christophers |
fruit_of_the_spirit.pptx | |
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"Hope" in the Bible:
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Job 11:18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.
Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love
Psalm 33:22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Psalm 38:15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
Psalm 39:7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Psalm 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
Psalm 71:5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
Psalm 78:7 So that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments
Psalm 119:74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.
Psalm 119:81 My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope
Psalm 130:7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
Psalm 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God
Psalm 147:11 But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Lamentations 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Lamentations 3:24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zechariah 9:12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Matthew 12:21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Romans 4:18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your
offspring be.”
Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
2 Corinthians 3:12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
Ephesians 1:18 Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call
Colossians 1:23 If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Titus 3:7 So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end
Hebrews 6:18-19 So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect
1 John 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Job 11:18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.
Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love
Psalm 33:22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Psalm 38:15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
Psalm 39:7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Psalm 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
Psalm 71:5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
Psalm 78:7 So that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments
Psalm 119:74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.
Psalm 119:81 My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope
Psalm 130:7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
Psalm 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God
Psalm 147:11 But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Lamentations 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Lamentations 3:24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zechariah 9:12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Matthew 12:21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Romans 4:18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your
offspring be.”
Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
2 Corinthians 3:12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
Ephesians 1:18 Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call
Colossians 1:23 If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Titus 3:7 So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end
Hebrews 6:18-19 So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect
1 John 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.