Keep Hope Alive
- June 5, 2020
We all need hope right now and our students need hope more than ever.
It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our world. These last few months have been unlike anything we have experienced.
Some of our students are experiencing a heightened sense of anxiety and loss. Social connection and opportunities longed for, have all but disappeared.
What does this sense of hopelessness mean for us as a faith community? How will this loss of hope impact the faith development of our students and how can we support them? We don’t yet know the toll on their wellbeing, self-worth and courage.
WHAT IS HOPE?
Hope is the desire for happiness paired with the trust in God. Because everyone wants to be happy, we will try almost anything if we believe it will bring happiness. However, the one thing that is most often missing is trust in God. So how do we have trust in God during times like these? The answer lies in learning from those who have had hope before us.
OUR CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Our Christian tradition is rich with stories of our ancestors who displayed hope. Think of Noah’s hope after the flood and the way God saved the Israelites from slavery. Remember the hope of the shepherds during the birth of Jesus and the healing miracles of Jesus touching a sick person and granting recovery.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
We cannot afford to lose our trust in God and our sense of hope. We only need to look at those who have gone before us who did not lose hope. Through trust in God’s providence, they too survived trying times. Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy have left us with a wonderful legacy of trust in God’s mercy.
The beautiful chorus from ‘The Circle of Mercy’ reminds us that:
The Circle of Mercy is timeless,
It is Spirit of Life Itself-
Which roots us in Faith
And lifts us in Hope
And Holds us in God’s loving care
And Holds us in God’s loving care
Let us pray for and with our students that we too may be inspired to hold fast to hope. By placing our trust in God, we believe this crisis is only a moment in time and that it too will pass.
- Featured
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.