It was December 2, 2018. My brothers had just pounced on my bed like it was Christmas morning and we were children. One person was curling my hair, one person was putting on my shoes, and one person was making sure that I ate every single pancake off the plate in front of me before we left the house.
It was my wedding day.
Perhaps the most anticipated day of many young women’s lives, and it was finally here. I’m not one of the girls who has planned their wedding day since they were little, dreaming of the colors and flowers and the dress. But I had this amazing anticipation of seeing my husband see me as the doors to the church whipped open for the first time.
That gut feeling. Those butterflies. If you’ve ever prepared for something that you were really passionate about, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the ‘this is it’ moment where you don’t want to look back but eagerly want to dive in head first.
That beautiful gut-wrenching feeling is what I’ve come to associate with the virtue of hope. Hope is not the anticipation you might feel when scratching off lotto tickets or the feeling when you’re just trying to get to the gas station before you hit “empty.” Hope is not waiting for a raise that may or may not come, and it isn’t wishing that your team is going to win the Super Bowl.
No. Real hope, virtuous hope is different.
Hope is understanding that what has been promised will come to you in it’s due time. Virtuous hope goes hand in hand with faith, as Paul tells us: “ Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Hope is that moment when I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my to-be-husband is about to look at me with an overwhelming sense of joy. Hope is…incredible.
Hope is a sure confidence that God is as good as His word. Hope is confident expectation that what has been ordained to happen will happen. Hope is not a hope-so, but a know-so. Virtuous hope is to have a sure anchor of the soul. “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:24-25)
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Hope is what I feel when I think about this year’s summer missionary team. We have an amazing group of young adults, from college students to priests, engineers to small business owners, professional dads to teachers. And regardless of their background, they have this passion for life and for defending life.
They have come together, from all across the country (Florida to Wisconsin, Kansas to Michigan and Georgia) to unite their sacrifices to Jesus’ cross. They actively hope for an end to the Culture of Death, knowing that the Lord has assured us that Life will conquer Death (1 Cor 15:55-57)!
My brothers and sisters, it is because of these young men and women becoming the hands and feet of Christ, embracing the mission of sharing Life with others, that we too can have Hope. What beauty is in their sacrifices! What goodness will come from their presence as a unified front against Death!
I am exceedingly hopeful that these young people will make more than a difference: that they will change lives, convert hearts, and save souls. I am hopeful that Jesus Christ has begun a new work in them, and through them, they will be a Light to our world.
Please pray for them! Pray for their safety in training, perseverance in preparation, and courage in evangelizing. You will get to meet them soon on our website, but until then, just know that all 30 of them are 100% committed to sharing the art of living.
