Exercise hope on path to renewal

By Erin O’Leary
OSV News

Lent gets its name from a word meaning “springtime,” the time of year when the hours of daylight are lengthening and the sun is bringing back its warmth and light.

The Lenten season, indeed all of springtime, is a time of hope: We deepen our relationship with Christ through our Lenten disciplines and look to his crucifixion, death and resurrection to overcome the darkness that can cause us to struggle and despair.

Some days we may not feel the love of God that is always present, but we can rely on hope to move us forward in faith, especially in the 2025 Jubilee Year, which Pope Francis gave the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Exercise hope this Lent and find renewal for the coming Easter season, where we celebrate Christ’s joyful resurrection.

Hope is a theological virtue, a gift from God that helps us act as his children. Received at baptism, hope gives us confidence and inspiration as we look forward to heaven and salvation.

Hope allows us to move forward in faith even in the most doubtful or difficult times. Hope can help us feel secure even in the midst of our own failings or the injustices we see in the world around us.

St. Thomas Aquinas said, “Hope denotes a movement or a stretching forth of the appetite toward an arduous good.”

In other words, we are reaching for the goodness of God when we exercise hope — even when it isn’t easy.

Hope is also a form of trust in, and surrendering to, our loving God. We have faith in his goodness, and we trust his guidance for our lives and future. And, while hope is a gift, it is also an active choice we make to stretch toward God’s goodness.

This stretching exercise can take many forms as we live the days of Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Pray with hope. The season of Lent calls us to deepen our prayer lives. St. Padre Pio’s famous phrase, “Pray, hope and don’t worry,” is a reminder that prayer can give us comfort when we place our hope in God.

Prayer shows our reliance on God as well as our confidence in God. Along with praying traditional Catholic prayers, it is helpful to pray with God’s word. This Lent, renew your prayer life by reflecting on these hope-filled Scripture passages:

“We who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm” (Heb 6:18–19).

“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer” (Rom 12:12).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).

“Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy” (Heb 10:23).

Another way to deepen our faith this Lent is to learn and recite the Act of Hope. Consider God’s mercy as you reflect on Christ’s death and resurrection and find hope in the promise of salvation: “O my God, relying on your infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of your grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.”

Fast with hope. During Lent, Catholics are called to days of fasting from food and abstinence from meat as we refocus our discipleship.

The goal of fasting is to improve our relationship with Christ as we experience sacrifice in honor of his sacrifice for us. Fasting can help us feel connected with Christ and solidarity with the poor.

Many Catholics also traditionally “give up” something for Lent. Here are some ideas to make your Lenten sacrifice a hope-building exercise.

Refrain from negative or hopeless comments; try saying things only in positive ways. Avoid watching television or movies with negative messages or dialogue. Give away items that are burdening you with clutter; find new homes for them with a charity donation.

Trade the time you usually spend on screens or sports viewing to take walks with family or friends. Skip buying desserts or treats and use the money you save to purchase flowers for someone who needs a day-brightener.

Give alms with hope. “It is in giving that we receive,” according to the Prayer of St. Francis.

Almsgiving can seem the easiest of Lenten disciplines. Most of our parishes have opportunities to donate funds to missions or the poor, and these are important works of charity.

Giving funds to help support others has been a part of Lent since the earliest days of Christianity and brings hope to others. However, as St. Teresa of Kolkata said, “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into the giving” that’s important.

Exercising hope means we are relying on God’s love for us, which calls us to truly love others. This might mean that we exercise our hope this Lent by giving our love in time as well as in treasure.

This Lent, consider volunteering time at your parish during one of its Lenten activities, or help clean or decorate the church in preparation for Holy Week. Write cards to family and friends expressing ways they help you feel more hopeful and thanking them for their support.

At Mass, introduce yourself to one new person each week of Lent and show them God’s love by sitting with them during the liturgy. Watch for someone who needs a helping hand in your family, in your neighborhood, at work or at school.

You could also keep a Lenten hope list. Write down names of those you encounter who need an extra dose of love and support. Pray for them and check in with them to show your care.

While Lent is traditionally the season to renew and refocus our discipleship through deeper experiences of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, it is important to remember that Christians are also called to live in hope.

This Lent, let us work to become more understanding, compassionate and faithful through developing a habit of hope.

Erin O’Leary is a religious educator in Minnesota.