The first week of Advent is centered around the virtue of hope. This theological virtue is incredibly integral to the Christian life, but it can be incredibly complex. Day to day, we are hopeful for anything from our favorite sports team to win a game to a promotion at work. Hope in our faith lives, however, goes deeper. We hope in Jesus himself, that he rose from the dead and will return in the second coming, and although they are already assured, we still hope in God's love, mercy, and graces to be poured out on us each day.

In Advent, we hope for the normal spiritual graces, but we also hope for Christ's coming at Christmas and at the second coming. We enter into the past like our Jewish ancestors who await the coming of the Messiah. We, as Christians, await the Messiah's arrival at Christmas. But knowing the end of Christ's earthy life and what is promised in eternal life, we pray for the strength and the grace to live upright lives in the hope of the Second coming and the resurrection of the dead: Christ's

ultimate and promised victory.

As the Catechism explains: "When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming."

This week of Advent, place yourself in the grand scheme of salvation history, reflect on what God's promise to send his son means for your life and how we can prepare for Christ's return at the second coming. Place your hope in the Lord and trust his divine plan. We invite you to pray about the virtue of hope with these scripture passages and accompanying reflection questions:



• Isaiah 40:3-5

Think about John the Baptist as the voice calling out in the dessert, in what ways do you exude hope or want to exude hope in your daily life?

• Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Are you caught up on daily anxieties and earthy pleasures, or do you use spiritual life to help alleviate your fears and keep you focused on salvation with Christ?

• Romans 5:1-11

Do you see hope in our spiritual life for our own redemption and deeper conversion to Christ? Do we ask the Holy Spirit to give us the virtue of hope?

Hope is what we are called to look for this week. As we light the first candle on our wreaths today, let us remind ourselves that hope is the virtue that comes from God. It is not internal, but a gift given by the Holy Spirit to help us know that we are made for eternal life. Our God is a God who keeps His promises.