The Act of Hope
O Lord God,
I hope by your grace for the pardon
of all my sins
and after life here to gain eternal happiness
because you have promised it
who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind,
and merciful.
In this hope I intend to live and die.
Amen.
God’s mercy leads me to hope in eternal life. God is merciful. Those three words change reality! Mercy is the reason God the Father sent His only Begotten Son to us. Mercy is the reason we are able to take a breath, to live, to move, and the reason we have being. Our life consists in realizing this: that our God loves us, that He forgives our sins, and that He has prepared a place for us in His kingdom. Our lives are a story of accepting His mercy and, in turn, extending that same mercy to others.
I recently read a story about Maria von Trapp, better known to us as Fräulein Maria depicted in the musical The Sound of Music. She shared her experience with death. She was in the hospital, extremely ill and she, along with all those around her, thought she was dying. All her senses except her hearing left her. During what she thought were her last few moments, she fell into a deep temptation—to turn away from God, to despair in His promise of Heaven, to question the reality of the Resurrection. With only her sense of hearing left, the only hope she found were in the words spoken by the people around her. Thankfully she recovered, but when she did, she was sure to instruct people about the importance of speaking hopeful words, especially to people during their last moments.
But we know we must not wait to speak of hope until our final moments. Each word we speak should be those of hope. And what is our hope? It is the Resurrection, it is eternal life, where we shall continually praise God! To get there, we need a Savior, a Savior Who will pardon all our sins. He is a merciful Savior. We must pray for the grace to run to Him when we fall, like the prodigal son. His arms are always open, He will always be waiting for us, looking for our return to Him. May we have the grace of humility, to hope in Him, to run to Him.
Let Us Pray
Father, we come to you as prodigal children, in desperate need and desire for your merciful love. May we never let shame or insecurity keep us from the confidence and security of Your Love. Amen!
For Discussion
How might receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation sometime this week bring you peace in your relationship with God?
What would it mean for you to live as a daughter of the King?
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 8 #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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