“Hope has an astonishing resilience and strength. Its very persistence in our hearts indicates that it is not a tonic for wishful thinkers but the ground on which realists stand.”

Hope seems to me to be the basis of most spiritual life. I remember my grandmother kneeling with me at my bedside when I was 3 or 4, and teaching me that I could talk to God.

Teach us God, to turn our panic into patience,
And our fear into acts of kindness and support.
Open the eyes of those who are ignoring warnings that can and will save lives.
Help each one of us to do our part to end this virus

Desmond Tutu once said “ Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

We need contemplative practices to loosen our egoic attachment to certainty and retrain our minds to understand the wisdom of paradox.

Was I resting and waiting patiently for the Lord? Did I forsake wrath? Exhilarating questions for which I still seek answers. I do know that I continued my prayers for dedication and my recovery was swifter than expected.

Now, more than ever, we need to trust and accept that everything will unfold exactly as it is supposed to, when it is supposed to.

But wait – the topic is patience? So perfect for me! I have struggled with patience, or the lack thereof, for years. What a blessing to be prompted to ponder it further in order to share my personal experience and thoughts.

At the very first Sunday, I felt at home, a slightly different home than I had had before, but one where God’s patience welcomed me.

The world didn’t take notice. Only those whom he called by name, with whom he broke bread, and to whom he spoke words of peace were aware of what happened. Still, it was this hidden event that freed humanity from the shackles of death.

Back to our evening walks – here I see such beautiful changes in the emergence of spring, slowly pushing its way forward.As I walk, I pray that I may move through change with as much grace as is embodied in the changes of the season.

I say that my heart has “re-emerged”….words are so difficult to find to precisely describe the transformative nature of a heart once broken into pieces and coming back to life. As St. Ignatius would say, the more I/we express our humanity by loving, healing, forgiving, serving, and even rejoicing….the more our own divinity or holiness is revealed.

For me this is an emotional link to the resurrection of the physical world which I see as a reflection of things that we cannot see, touch, or hear. Life is not limited to our perceptions, but they are a springboard to a richer and more vibrant existence. We only have to watch for the seemingly random connections that keep popping up in the most ordinary and extraordinary events.

Barbara pointed out to me Christ is ascending but is looking out over the people instead of up to heaven. It is a good reminder when I go to church for services, Baptisms, Rite 13, Conformation, Ordination, Weddings and Funerals that I look up to remind me why Christ died for us and was Resurrected to save the people of this world.

Trust in the Lord, trust that with Christ living inside me the light that I bring to my family, friends and my work is nourished by him. It is freedom.

I’m so far from being a biblical scholar and expect most of you have much more valuable insights on these subjects. But even before losing my ability to speak, I never want to turn down a request or an opportunity to simply be heard.

Resurrection is not simply a promise to us, it requires our own participation. God doesn’t happen to us, God happens through us.

When your cross is too great to bear, when the glory of the resurrection has faded into the daily grind, go back there again to be with Him. Spend some stormy July night keeping watch with Him in Gethsemane.Take a moment to kneel at the foot of the cross with His mother and weep.

I find a lot of comfort, but also unease, in the week after Holy Week; yes, there is resurrection, and the alleluia has returned, but it's hard to keep from looking over my shoulder.