OUR LADY OF HOPE

By -
Who would have ever thought, that a woman's suffering, could bring tremendous hope-to the rest of humankind? That her suffering would bear the fruits of freedom for individuals and families-from here through eternity?!

Our Lady of Hope is the most accurate and profound description of the Blessed Mother's life. She has been many things to many people, but the instrument of hope has clearly been her starring role.

Mary's hope held her together...gave her life meaning. As she watched her son being killed, his suffering became her own...and she clung to the hope that one day their sacrificial pain would serve to free the world from its painful prison of sin. She hoped that her son's birth, his death and his resurrection would be a living sign in the heart of man-that God's Love, conquers death and restores new life.

Our Lady of Hope, in St. Augustine Florida is a vibrant, living, breathing community of hope, amid the chaos of our world. Young men who were once lost and feeling alone, mixed up and addicted to drugs, are learning that life is full of hope, happiness and heavenly rewards. In a face to face encounter with the living Jesus, they have conquered their own sense of hopelessness, while discovering the purpose and the meaning of their lives. In return they have inspired new hope in the hearts of their parents and Loved ones, who had also given up on hope, and sometimes, on God.

Of the three theological virtues gifted by God-Faith, Hope and Love, Hope lights the way. It is a spiritual grace, rather than a physical emotion...The driving force that helps humanity overcome debilitating difficulties and soul binding behaviors...And thanks to Our Lady of Hope, it is in fact, the one virtue that is multiplying miracles all over the world.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SUBLIME AUDACITY!

By -
Image
I have all the signs and symptoms of something I just learned about today...Sublime Audacity. That's right...I have the audacity to believe-that anything is possible-anything at all-with God. In fact, I believe that there is one cure for all the world's ills...and that cure rests with -and in God. In a world of material wealth, individual desires and carefully orchestrated managed care...When people search the world over for the answers that never come, the healings that rarely happen and the hope that always gets dashed by the next person...I believe that there is only one steady stream of consciousness that always gets it right...and that is God. I've personally experienced it time and again and every time I look elsewhere or seek some other solution, I always come crawling back to the staying power of my higher power...Because let's face it...Once we have the audacity to tell anyone-anyone at all that God is responsible for all the good in our lives or the Love that
Read more

OUR LADY OF JOY, HANCEVILLE ALABAMA

By -
Image
High atop a hill in Hanceville Alabama, broken hearts are being healed and hope is being restored. Our Lady of Joyful Hope is a community of young men who are finding new freedom through a life of authentic truth. Once lost in the darkness of addiction they are now living in the light of Christ who is transforming them from the inside out...And their families, if they are open and willing, are being transformed right alongside them. Recently, I spent three days with this community, listening to the young men, their parents and to the foundress, Mother Elvira, who flew in from Italy for the anointing of the new community house and the celebration that followed. Mother Elvira's life story is on par with Mother Teresa. She is an Italian nun who heard the call from God to snatch souls from Satan by delivering young men and women from the demonic grip of addiction. She gave up everything familiar, walked straight into the wilderness and wound up becoming a living legacy for desperate fa
Read more

CONFESSIONS OF FATHER JOE BENSON

By -
As we sat in silence, meditating...I nudged my friend Terri, "What do we have to complain about?!" I whispered. There he hung, pain stricken, vulnerable in his nakedness, sharp thorns cutting into his head, pleading eyes fixed on the heavens. What I thought, on God's green earth, do I have to complain about?! That's probably why they do it...place the life like crucifix dead center-above the altar, just above the Blessed Sacrament, right where you can't miss it...just to remind us-things could be worse, but they're destined to get better-if we keep our eyes focused-on the solution. Another friend-likes to remind me-he's not on the cross anymore...So why do we keep him there? Every one's got an opinion, but to tell you the truth, I need to be reminded of the sacrifice...and every painful moment in between. Puts my problems in perspective...helps me see clearly...gives me strength to proceed. We went to first Friday adoration in the upper ninth ward..
Read more