When Hope Did Not Disappoint
My husband handed me a prayer book one winter morning about two years ago. “Magnificat” read its beautiful cover. I recognized it, seeing it in my own parents' hands at Daily Mass and in the back of some churches. I flipped through it and it was full of the month’s Mass readings, prayers, reflections, and Saint stories. My husband told me that he noticed I was struggling to pray and that he had subscribed to it for me.
He was right. For the first time in my life I had no desire to pray. But the fact that my husband cared so much to the point of both noticing my struggle and investing in my prayer prompted me to promise myself that I would wake up each morning and pray with the book for two minutes.
I remained faithful to that two minutes. The beauty of the book drew me in and two minutes turned into five. A few months later five turned into fifteen minutes. A year later I was going to Daily Mass again and praying The Liturgy of Hours along with the “Magnificat” every morning.
My husband taught me through his example something very important. We must be on the lookout for others—their struggles and their pain. We must be attentive to those around us and invest in their salvation. That investment could look like a kind word, a warm meal, an invitation to a prayer group, or a cup of coffee together after Mass.
When we do these small acts of love we instill hope in those who need it the most. May we always be prepared to share the reason for our hope in us with those who need that hope the most.
Small acts of love instill hope in those who need it the most. #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Let Us Pray
God, help us to be on the lookout for those in our lives who are in need of hope. Help us to receive small acts of love from others when we need hope. Above all, send Your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with hope so that we may live from that place! Amen.
For Discussion
Think about a time in your own life when you chose to hope and you saw that hope did not disappoint.
How did that influence your relationship with the Lord?
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 7 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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