MARTYRS OF NORTH AMERICA
Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 18-22
18
He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become “the father of
many nations,” according to what was said, “Thus shall your descendants be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body as
[already] dead (for he was almost a hundred years old) and the dead womb of Sarah.
20 He did not doubt God’s promise in
unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and
gave glory to God 21
and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. 22
That is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
What is hope against hope?
Hope against hope, to continue to hope, although the
outlook does not warrant it.[1]
We all face
difficult moments of darkness and anxiety when things can become difficult.
Some may become disillusioned with life and lose hope. During these challenging
times, hope can also be misunderstood. We may think that it is having a
positive attitude or being optimistic. We may place our hope in things of this
world, such as our work or charitable projects, thinking they will bring us
happiness. Pope Francis reminds us that true hope is not built on human words
or assurances, but on God’s Word and His promise of salvation and eternal life.
The Theological Virtue of Hope[2]
Hope is perhaps the most difficult of the three
theological virtues to understand. It can be described as an unshakable trust
and assurance that the promises of God will be fulfilled. This trust is based
on what He has done for us in His Son Jesus, through His Death and
Resurrection. Like faith, it is not a human attitude or opinion, but it is a
gift of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the
true nature and meaning of the virtue. It states:
Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the
kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in
Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the
grace of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 1817)
God has placed in each of our hearts the desire and
longing for true happiness. The virtue of hope responds to this innermost
desire and helps us to place our trust in God. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church describes the work and function of hope. It states:
[This virtue] takes up the hopes that inspire men’s
activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it
keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it
opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he
is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity.
(CCC 1818)
Jesus used the image of the kingdom of God to express
the content of our hope. He used parables, images, and symbols to describe what
is eternal and invisible to the human eye. St. Paul declares, “Now hope that
sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees?” (Romans 8:24). This gift of the Holy Spirit
helps us envision what still cannot be seen and which would otherwise be
impossible to expect.
Today in the dioceses of the United
States the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Sts. Issac Jogues and
John de Brébeuf (priests and martyrs) and their companions (martyrs). They were
Jesuit missionaries who died as martyrs in North America where they preached
the Gospel.
·
Pray
to the Holy Spirit to renew the evangelization of distant countries as well as
the re-evangelization of our own nation.
·
More
Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in the previous nineteen
centuries combined. For example, pastors are being arrested and sometimes shot
in China and Cuba. Believers are forbidden to buy goods or own property in
Somalia. Christians who testify to their faith in Iran or Saudi Arabia may be
put to death for blasphemy. Mobs have wiped out whole villages of Christians in
Pakistan. Pray for courageous and zealous missionaries in these countries where
the Church is persecuted.
·
Visit
the National Shrine of the North American
Martyrs in
Auriesville, New York. This site offers a
wonderful gallery of pictures of the shrine.
·
Learn more about each of the
martyrs. You might also like to read this definitive scholarly biography, Saint Among Savages:
The Life of St. Isaac Jogues, by Francis Talbot, S.J.
·
Learn
for Christmas the Indian Christmas Carol, the first American Christmas carol
John de Brébeuf wrote to teach the Christmas story to the Huron Indians.
1173 When the Church
keeps the memorials of martyrs and other saints during the annual cycle, she
proclaims the Paschal mystery in those "who have suffered and have been
glorified with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful as examples who draw
all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for
God's favors."
First Kings 10:4-5 “And when the
queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his
servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he
offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.”
If we sin, we are Thine, knowing Thy power: but—we will not sin, knowing that we are counted Thine. For to know Thee is perfect righteousness: yea, to know Thy power is the root of immortality. —WISDOM OF SOLOMON xv. 2, 3.
Daily Devotions
[1]
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hope--against--hope
[2]
https://www.catholicstand.com/hope-misunderstood-virtue/
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