Hope, the Opposite of Despair...




From several sources:

Man's way leads to a hopeless end, God's way leads to an endless hope.

Where there is life, there is hope.

GOD is the only ultimate hope we have.

I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I
      hope to be. It is only by the Grace of God that I am not what I was! 
 
The holy father is a person of hope.

The prophets are the ones who bring out Christianity's dimension of hope.
      They are the channels of access to what must still come to pass and,
      therefore, allowing us to go beyond time to attain what is essential and
      definitive. Pope Benedict XVI

There are other deaths besides bodily death. There is the death of the
     spirit, the death of hope, and the death of dreams.

The first commandment embraces the theological virtues of faith, hope,
     and charity.

 Faith is the root, hope is the stem, and love is the flower on a single
      plant. Peter Kreeft

An elder Cherokee native American was teaching his grandchildren about
      life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me...it is a terrible
      fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy,
      sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
      inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
      The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity,
      humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth,
      compassion and faith.
      This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person
      too." They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his
      grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied...
      "The one you feed."

Three things in life that you should never lose-
       1. Hope
       2. Peace
       3. Honesty



For those who have lost hope and are in despair, here are some words of comfort from Holy Scripture:

Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice."

Psalm 9:9-10, "The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who honor your name trust in You; You never forsake those who seek You LORD."

Psalm 42:11, " Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress."

Psalm 23:4, "Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage."

Psalm 28:7, "The LORD is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him and I am helped."

Psalm 31:7-8, "I will rejoice and be glad in your love, once you have seen my misery, observed my distress. You will not abandon me into enemy hands, but will set my feet in a free and open space."

Psalm 121:3, "God will not allow your foot to slip, your guardian doesn't sleep."

Psalm 121:8, "The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever."

2Corinthians 4:17-18, "For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal."

Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."

1Peter 4: 12-13, "Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when His glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly."

Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you."

John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me."

Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

2Corinthians 4:8-10, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."



"I hope you have a nice trip 'til the sidewalk ends and Heaven begins'."
A quote from Father Dermot Dwyer.



Compiled by Bob Stanley and Pilar Saiffe
March 20, 2008
Added to - March 28, 2008



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