This gives me hope
by Sara Forrest
I take hope from….
The Lord’s Prayer,
especially the phrase ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ I realised this when I was listening to news reports from Gaza, Ukraine and the Sudan where there is little sign of reconciliation or dialogue with the aim of healing past hurts.
This is an every day reminder that we can, and should, forgive others and move forward in order to live as well as God intends. This can be hard though.
The phrase ‘lead us not into temptation’ is so relevant for an internet enabled world of 24/7 temptation. Unsubscribing to feeds that show content we’re not comfortable and or emails that bombard us with ‘special offers’ reduces the temptation we face. I now spend more time and money mindfully, so I consume less – Live Simply.
The Hail Mary,
especially ‘pray for us sinners’ which reassures me that I’m not meant to be perfect but I am worthy of prayer and support.
The Penitential Rite,
especially the phrase ‘I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do’. This reminds me that my choices have consequences.
If I accept that I did make a choice I may make a better choice next time. I can learn and live better. I know that sometimes other factors influence the outcome but that’s awareness helps me to learn too.
The Beatitudes
As a teenager I spent many hours discussing what each statement meant to discern how to live well as an adult. I particularly remember ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ provoking debate about career choices, job content being more important that pay. And how we spent what money we had, the difference between what we needed and what we wanted, and reducing jealousy when others had ‘more’.
Another clear memory relates to ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ when we talked about relationships, for example ‘was it better to keep quiet if someone in your friendship group really irritated you’ or should you exclude them. Firm conclusions were difficult. But with practice I got better at telling people about how I felt about what had happened and learnt how develop maturing relationships.
I have little influence over politics and the big choices made on my behalf but these prayers and Gospel reflections enable me to make conscious choices that have a positive influence on the quality of my relationship with God and others. I feel blessed that my faith gives me these regular practical reminders that help me live a better life.
This gives me hope.
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