January 17, 2021: As Real As It Gets – Michael Hidalgo

The first occurrence of hope described as a virtue is within the Judeo-Christian Tradition. The Apostle Paul even places it alongside the virtues of faith and love. This is why within the Christian Tradition hope is a familiar word. But what exactly is hope? According to most definitions, hope is an expectation that things will go well, or a desire for certain things to play out in a particular way. This is not hope, but wishful thinking. And wishful thinking believes that the power for things to turn out in our favor or for difficult circumstances to pass by lies elsewhere. But hope invites us to see that we have something to say and a role to play in making things better.

Hope, it turns out, is a discipline, and like all disciplines, it is something we practice. Hope is a resolve of our spirit, and a way of moving in the world. As we journey alongside one another, we work together toward a common vision. We then discern together ways we can move toward that vision, and encourage one another to never give up. This is hope: believing that we can work together to see our longings and vision for this world - for the common good - realized