Hope is a theological virtue, which makes us expect from the Lord what we do not yet see. If we place our hope in Him, the Father can transform our hearts. This is what He tells us in the Message to Mother Eugenia:
“Remember, o men, that I wish to be the hope of humanity. Am I not already? Man would be lost if I were not his hope. But it is necessary for Me to be recognized as such, so that peace, confidence and love may enter men’s hearts and put them in contact with their Father in heaven and on earth!”
Placing our hope in the Lord means not allowing ourselves to be engulfed by the frequent uncertainties and difficult circumstances that seek to discourage us. Hope is always a light that frees us from our anxieties and disposes us to discover God’s ways. Even if they are not immediately recognised, our heart is not discouraged and does not despair. Because hope is a divine light, it penetrates us and brings us true peace. Through trust this light shines, and so the heart opens to the love that God offers us in every situation of life.
Placing our hope in God saves us from placing it wrongly in people and thus avoids the disappointments that one has to suffer time and again as a result. If these negative experiences, understood in the right way, can in some way help us to seek the true object of our hope, they become a good lesson. But if this does not happen, the soul grows darker and darker.
If we raise our eyes and place our hope in the Father, we will have a key that can always open the door to the Heart of God.