“Hope is not empty optimism springing from a naive confidence that the future will necessarily be better than the past. Hope and trust are the premise of responsible activity and are nurtured in that inner sanctuary of conscience where “man is alone with God” and thus perceives that he is not alone amid the enigmas of existence, for he is surrounded by the love of the Creator.”
-Blessed Pope John Paul II, from his “Address to the Fiftieth General Assembly of the United Nations Organization,” 16. (Quoted in Weigel, George. Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, 14)
What a beautiful, helpful definition of Hope! Hope is not naive: it is responsible. And it is based on a relationship with God. If we have Hope, it is only because of God’s initiative. God’s free gift of Himself is our wellspring of Hope.
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