Tag: hope

The Season of Advent – Preparing and Waiting with Hope

Posted on by Alvin Peña

I can’t wait for Christmas…

It is truly one of my favorite holiday seasons. I love listening to and singing traditional Christmas carols. In addition, I enjoy spending time with my family and exchanging gifts with them. However, I do not enjoy the long lines at the department stores several weeks before December 25th. I am also not a fan of Christmas carols being played on the radio soon after the (U.S.) celebration of Thanksgiving Day. As a Catholic, I am becoming increasingly concerned that the consumerism and commercialism of the final months of the year are negatively impacting the religious significance of Christmas. Hence, I believe that it is crucial that we understand and remember Christmas’ true meaning and that we adequately prepare for it. For us Catholics, the four weeks of Advent help us not only to prepare for Christmas but also provide an overall guide to living a holy life.

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The Lord’s Favors Are Not Exhausted

Posted on by Alvin Peña

We have all faced difficult times. Many of these have been moments in which it seems that things just continue to get worse and worse. We encounter one misfortune after the next. We do not seem to see the improvement we are hoping for. We become worried and are filled with anxiety. Our thoughts center on a particular situation seemingly without end. We think to ourselves, “When will things get better?”

When Will Things Get Better?

Our human experience is similar to the author of the book of Lamentations. His words become ours:

“My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is;
I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the LORD.
The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall;
Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me…”

The Favors of the Lord Are Not Exhausted

However, God never permits His children to be tempted or tried beyond their strength or ability to bear them. In the midst of these troubling thoughts and restless emotions, and at a moment when we least expect it, He enlightens us with His light and truth to guide us and to lift us up:

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The Difference it Makes When Our Confidence is in God

Posted on by Alvin Peña

 

            Challenging life experiences and intimidating circumstances constantly remind us that we need to continuously rebuild our confidence in God. As I reflected on Scripture and our world this week, this word – confidence – emphatically stands out. It is a word that not only the disciples struggled with, but also the people of Israel and Judah.

 

            Long ago in the ancient world, a powerful empire emerged in the north of Mesopotamia. Assyria was a mighty force, feared by numerous regions, and was an intimidating presence to Israel and Judah. This empire took pride in their dominion and arrogantly strove to displace God as the supreme ruler of the world. For their outright rejection of the Lord and their usurping ambitions, God eventually punished them. Isaiah the prophet proclaimed:

“The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have resolved, so shall it be; As I have planned, so shall it stand: To break the Assyrian in my land and trample him on my mountains; Then his yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden from their shoulder. This is the plan proposed for the whole earth, and this the hand outstretched over all the nations. The LORD of hosts has planned; who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out; who can turn it back?” (Is 14:24-27)

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No Reason to Lose Hope

Posted on by Alvin Peña

Everyone confronts difficult moments at some point during his or her life. Perhaps you have already experienced distressing and trying seasons filled with events that seem worse than the previous ones, thereby encountering one tribulation after the next. Hence, these become episodes in which you do not see the improvement and positive change you’re hoping for. As a result, you may become worried, apprehensive, and filled with anxiety. Your thoughts may begin to center on a particularly troublesome situation without end. Understandably, it is during these moments that you may feel uncertain as to whether these circumstances will ever get better. But, there is reason to hope…

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