Hope arises when we embrace a sacred reality.
—Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light
Father Richard Rohr finds encouragement in his belief that we are created in the image of God, who is love:
The Jesuit priest and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “Love is the physical structure of the universe.” [1] Our theological or scriptural way of saying the same thing is “Let us create in our image” (Genesis 1:26). The universe—and each of us—are made in the image of the triune God, who is love, a dynamic cycling of infinite outpouring and infinite receiving.
If God is both incarnate and implanted, both Christ and Holy Spirit, then an unfolding inner dynamism in all creation is not only certain but also moving in a positive direction. If we are to have foundational hope, it almost demands a foundational belief in a world that is still and always unfolding toward something better. This is the virtue of hope. Personally, I have found that it is almost impossible for individuals or communities to heal over the long haul if they do not trust that the whole cosmic arc is also on a trajectory toward the good.
Admittedly, sometimes the suffering and injustices of our time make it hard to believe in that arc of love. I think that is part of the church’s major failure: to provide Western civilization with a positive, hopeful, and cosmic understanding of our own “good news.” [2]
Choctaw elder and Episcopal bishop Steven Charleston describes how this love and foundational hope surround us at all times:
The tipping point of faith is the threshold of spiritual energy, where what we believe becomes what we do. When that power is released, there is no stopping it, for love is a force that cannot be contained….
Hope is the catalyst, the tipping point where what we believe becomes what we do….
Hope lets us literally see the presence and action of the holy in our everyday lives. This is not an imaginary desire viewed through rose-colored glasses. It is the solid evidence of the power of love made visible in abundance….
Sometimes, in this troubled world of ours, we forget that love is all around us. We imagine the worst of other people and withdraw into our own shells. But try this simple test: Stand still in any crowded place and watch the people around you. Within a very short time, you will begin to see love, and you will see it over and over and over. A young mother talking to her child, a couple laughing together as they walk by, an older man holding the door for a stranger—small signs of love are everywhere. The more you look, the more you will see. Love is literally everywhere. We are surrounded by love…. Hope makes room for love in the world. [3]
References:
[1] Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Human Energy, trans. J. M. Cohen (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1969), 72.
[2] Adapted from Richard Rohr, with Brie Stoner and Paul Swanson, Another Name for Every Thing, podcast, season 1, ep. 4, “Love Evolves,” March 9, 2019. Available as MP3 audio download and PDF transcript.
[3] Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light: An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage (Broadleaf Books, 2021), 60–61, 67.
Image credit and inspiration: Dyu Ha, untitled (detail), 2019, photo, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. We reach out with a deep desire to connect to hope and a sense of timing beyond our own.
Story from Our Community:
The Center for Action and Contemplation inspired my path to the contemplative life a few years ago. However, a recent Daily Meditation by Carmen Acevedo Butcher resulted in a breakthrough unlike anything I have experienced before. I began to sing the prayer “Be still and know that I am God” to a tune that flowed from my heart. I was transported beyond my thoughts and into a state of utter peace for the first time. Thank you, CAC, and thank you, Carmen.
—Debbie J.
