“Blessed are they who hope in the Lord” – this is the refrain we hear in the psalm today. The message in the psalm brings us a message of hope, as we as disciples of Christ are to place our hope in our faith, in the salvation we have in Christ. Yet, the readings also hold us accountable and responsible as disciples of Christ as well. This hope is not just a promise that demands no action on our own part. Paul tells the Romans that before they were slaves to impurity and lawlessness, but now they are to live in righteousness as disciples of Christ. Sometimes in what we are going through in our daily lives, it can be difficult to have hope. When we have no hope, perhaps we need to look at what we can change in our lives to bring us hope. At a workshop we had in our Diocese in early October, we were told that in order to have hope in our lives, we had to seek out and foster healthy relationships in our lives. We do not feel hope on our own or in isolation. The importance of community in our Catholic faith reinforces this concept. The friends and healthy relationships around us can help us have joy in our heart no matter the struggles and the challenges we are facing. Let us have hope. Let us put our trust in our Lord.
This is a blog of homilies, reflections, and photos from a Roman Catholic priest serving in the Diocese of Jackson in the state of Mississippi. Currently, I am the pastor of Holy Savior in Clinton and Immaculate Conception in Raymond. I have served as Vicar General of the Diocese since July 2019. I also serve as Catholic chaplain in the federal prison in Yazoo City and the state prison in Pearl.
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