Pilgrims of Hope: The Four Strands
Strand Number One
Updated: April 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Hope is the anchor that holds us in the arena of our lives.
The Anchor of Hope crushed the sting of death and sings of the eternal truth that by his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ is Victorious. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the hammer that forged for each of us the indestructible Anchor of Hope, made perfect by the unquenchable Fires of Pentecost.
Hope truly is an indestructible anchor, but our tether to it is not. Storms of fear, unforgiveness, and our sin decay the rope that binds us to our Anchor of Hope. We strengthen our tie to hope when we embrace four simple truths: God’s love, our sin, the gift of Redemption, and our empowerment in the Holy Spirit.
I want to give you a personal example: my mom died earlier this year on January 18.
She had been suffering from cancer for quite some time, and while we miss her dearly there is a sense of relief that she isn’t suffering any longer. Knowing that she was dying, I would call almost daily to connect with her, to pray with her when we could, and to chat about our shared faith.
All of this took a different turn when she told me that she was scared to die. When I asked her why she was scared, she said that she wasn’t sure that God would forgive her.
There isn’t much about other people’s journey with the Lord that surprises me—neither the good nor the bad. This, though, nearly broke my heart.
My mom taught me how to say the rosary, when to kneel at mass, introduced me to her “Church friends,” and even showed me how to cultivate the Corinthian Gifts. And yet, the frailness of our humanity jarringly stared back at me with childlike eyes, asking me if she will go to heaven.
The tether to her Anchor of Hope had become weakened by the storms, and it seemed to me that the Lord was asking me to help her renew and strengthen it.
Tethered to the Imperishable Anchor of Hope
The Virtue of Hope is one of the Theological Virtues that are infused within our souls at Baptism and remain a testament to us of God’s faithfulness. The Holy Spirit will never abandon us, and through these virtues he will sustain us on our journey to our true home, which is the Heart of Jesus. Because these virtues come from God, they themselves are eternal and flawless.
What isn’t eternal and flawless, however, is our use of them. Think of a dirtied jewel, one that’s been marred by the storms of our lives. A jewel will never loose its inherent value but instead our superficial view or appreciation of it, and therefore its usefulness to us, will diminish.
Scripture and Tradition describes the Theological Virtue Hope as both a Weapon and an Anchor that sustains our desire to seize our victory (Catechism 1820).1 This leads me to ask: what good is either a weapon or an anchor that is freely given to me if I fail to utilize it, or if my ability to utilize it has been severely diminished?
Imagine a 4-Strand Rope. One that tethers us to the Anchor of Hope. Each strand of this rope sings of 4 eternal truths: Love, Sin, Redemption, and Empowerment.
“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son” (Pope St. John Paul II, emphasis from source)2
Strand Number One: The Love and Mercy of God.
One of the storms that rage against us is the idea that God’s love is limited, that somehow we need to earn his love. When the storm passes, many are left with the nagging suspicion that all is already lost, that God cannot love, and that we are utterly alone.
In my conversations with my mom, we stood against this storm. When we spoke and prayed about her situation, our focus shifted away from the lies shouting at us from the storm and into the heart of a loving Father who provides for us, sustains us, and who’s plan for each one of us spans all eternity.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love …” (Jeremiah 31:3).
That scripture is one of my favourites and I would share it with my mom often. The Hebrew word used for “everlasting” is ôwlâm (pronounced “o-lawm”) and it implies “from beyond the veil of eternity.” It describes a love that simply exists; a love that had no beginning and will have no ending, because God’s love for every single one of us is eternal.
Jeremiah speaks to us of this Truth: that God saw each one of us from beyond the veil of eternity and set into motion our very existence.
Think of it this way: look at your fingerprint. How long did it take to make your fingerprint? At the moment of your conception, you are given the genetic blueprint needed to create your fingerprint. Now tell me: where did this blueprint come from? You could say that it ultimately came from God, but you received all the DNA required to build your fingerprint … from your parents. They, in turn, received their DNA from their parents, which they received from their parents, and so on.
Our fingerprints testify to God’s plan of love that began before he created the atoms, before he created the cosmos, the stars, the moon, the earth, the sky, the ground … before he created all of this, he was thinking of you. He saw you from beyond the veil of Eternity and said that “this is good” (see Genesis 1).
He had you in mind, including your potential, and set in motion a plan for all of human history--what has been and what is yet to come--that involved you existing on this day, at this time.
He knit you together with a pattern that began eons ago, and he was filled with joy knowing that you will live. He waited with anticipation for your moment of conception, for your fingers and toes to form, for your birth, for your life and your character and your skills.
What we see when we gaze with wonder at our fingerprints, is the Golden Thread of God’s Plan weaving throughout all of human history and you, my dear friend, are right in the middle of it all.
Knowing this Truth forms the first unbreakable strand of the Four Strand Rope that tethers us to the Anchor of Hope.
Let’s rest in this Truth. Let it permeate your prayer, read it as you contemplate the daily mass readings. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you this Truth of God’s love and plan for your life. Over the coming days, I will share with you the other three strands of the Four Strand Rope that tethers us to the indestructible Anchor of Hope.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), para. 1820, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM.
John Paul II, "Homily of the Holy Father, 17th World Youth Day, Toronto, Canada, July 28, 2002," Vatican, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20020728_xvii-wyd.htm.