We can grow in hope during Advent by focusing more on God than ourselves
Hope is more than an optimistic feeling — it’s a decision.
“It’s a decision to believe God when He says that He has good things in store for us,” said Father Joe Martin, associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Cottleville. He keeps Jeremiah 29:11 on the cover of his journal as a reminder.
Father Martin recalled beginning his time in the seminary full of enthusiasm and excitement for the path ahead. By the time he reached his third and fourth year, though, he started experiencing a sort of fog of uncertainty descending on him.
It was tempting to lose hope in that time, to think he must have done something wrong and he wasn’t worthy of God’s goodness, he said. “That’s when hope really had to become a decision for me.”
While serving a yearlong pastoral internship at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Ellisville, he was assisting one early morning at Mass with Father Anthony Yates at the neighboring Passionist Nuns convent. All of his thoughts about his past, his future and his confusion were swirling in his head, but he received a grace from the Holy Spirit: a gentle invitation to simply worship God, truly present before Him, in the present moment.
“That was very freeing, the decision to hope in God, to simply be content with being in His presence at that moment, regardless of the past, regardless of the future,” Father Martin said. “That all of a sudden brought clarity to me, and it brought a measure of peace, and it started a new journey.”
Growing in hope
We can grow in the virtue of hope by first recognizing God’s goodness, Father Martin said.
“Our invitation for this Advent is to worship God. It’s to adore Him, to focus more on Him than on ourselves, and it’s really to let go of the past and the future and to be with Him in the present moment,” Father Martin said. “That’s what sets us free.”
Advent: On the Way with the Archdiocese of St. Louis
Watch a video of Father Joe Martin’s Advent reflection on hope at stlreview.com/4oHWwAx
The Archdiocese of St. Louis will be sharing video reflections and more throughout the four weeks of Advent. To watch the videos, follow the Archdiocese of St. Louis on social media:
Facebook: Archdiocese of St. Louis
Instagram: @arch_stl
Read the St. Louis Review’s Advent stories at stlouisreview.com/topic/advent.
