According to Scott Hahn’s definition of Hope in his Catholic Bible Dictionary, “Hope is the confident expectation of some desired good. Hope entails personal volition, and we must act to bring about what is desired; hope understands that what is desired will not necessarily be attained easily or readily.”
We all have many kinds of hopes but maybe the most significant hope has to do with our relationships. Our greatest hope may be when we have had strong feelings for another person and we hoped they would feel the same way about us. We may hope to have an intimacy with that person that is life long-lasting.
An intimate relationship is only possible when both parties desire it and act upon it. God demonstrated His incredible and unconditional Love for us when Jesus was sacrificed on the Cross for our eternal salvation. Jesus’ sacrifice demonstrated God’s Love for us and His Hope and desire for an intimate relationship with each and every one of us. He gave us that free will in Hope that we would want that intimate relationship Him. What does that mean to have an intimate relationship with God?
Prayer always seems to be the first response for being in a relationship with God. According to Saint John Damascene, “Prayer is the raising of ones’ mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God?”
I must admit that it is too easy to always be asking for good things from God. Or, in other times when simply repeating the Our Father, Hail Mary and other rote prayers it is too easy to be distracted or mechanical. Even saying Grace before meals. But when I stop each time before praying and consider that here I am before God about to raise my mind, heart and soul earnestly to God I truly begin to experience God’s presence. I can envision Him with arms wrapped around me in an embrace and a love I cannot describe. We need to know and understand that when we truly open our heart and soul to Him in prayer that He stands before us hoping for an everlasting intimacy with us. It helps when we pray to envision Him right there with us. In developing that intimacy with Him we can begin to experience the warmth of His embrace and His love like we can’t imagine. It is also God’s hope that we will share that with others and draw them to Him as well. May your relationship with God fulfill His and your Hope.
I hope you have an intimacy with God that is everlasting.