We live in a time when many hearts tremble with uncertainty. The noise of the world is loud, and its doubts echo across every continent. People question truth itself, they question the meaning of life, and often they question the very existence of God. Yet amid all this restlessness, one thing has not changed. The light of Christ still shines, and that light is our hope. Hope is not a fragile wish or just a pleasant thought; it is a certainty rooted in the eternal faithfulness of God. Saint Paul wrote, “For in hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man sees, why does he hope for?” (Romans 8:24). True hope looks beyond what we can see. It reaches into the unseen kingdom, trusting that what the Lord has promised will indeed come to pass. It is not born of optimism, but of confidence in the One who cannot lie.
This age of doubt often mistakes despair for honesty and disbelief for intelligence. Many people today speak as if it were courageous to abandon faith, and sophisticated to deny that life has a divine purpose. But those who belong to Christ do not join that demoniac chorus. We do not yield to cynicism, nor do we find beauty in hopelessness. We see life as sacred because it is given by our God, sustained by His grace, and redeemed by the Blood of His Son. Our hope is not an escape from life, but rather a consecration of it.
Some in our time speak morbidly about death, as though it were something to be glorified or even hastened. The culture around us, weary of meaning, toys with the idea that death might bring relief or dignity on its own terms. Yet for us, death is not a friend to be courted, but an enemy that has been conquered. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). We do not desire death; we desire the fullness of life that Christ has made possible. Our joy does not lie in the end of existence, but in its transfiguration. When Christ walked amongst men, He did not glorify suffering or decay. He raised the widow’s son, He called Lazarus from the tomb, and He Himself rose on the third day. Every act of His was an affirmation that life is holy, and that God is “not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Luke 20:38). Our hope does not dwell in graves or endings, but in resurrection and renewal. Even as we face mortality, we do so with the serene conviction that “He who raised up Jesus will raise up us also with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14).
It is our duty to be witnesses of hope in this age of doubt. Hope does not always shout; often it speaks quietly through endurance, gentleness, and faithfulness in daily life. When we speak kindly, forgive sincerely, and pray faithfully, we are already declaring that Christ lives. When we face illness, loss, or trial with calm trust in the Lord, we proclaim to the world that despair has been defeated. The world is weary of arguments; what it needs is to see that hope can still be lived. Each of us can be a bearer of that hope. When someone we love struggles to believe, our presence and prayer can be a light in their darkness. When we see the world’s confusion and sorrow, we can respond with mercy and patience, remembering that God’s grace still moves unseen among His children. Our task is not to judge the doubter, but to love them until they see in us the peace of Christ.
Hope for Christ’s sheep is not a fragile emotion. It is the quiet strength that endures, the trust that never lets go of the Cross. Saint Peter wrote, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). That reason is simple—our hope is Christ Himself. He has entered death and shattered its gates. He has promised us eternal life, and that promise cannot fail.
We can not live as those who fear the future, but instead as those who await it with reverence and confidence. We must cherish every day as a gift of grace, for every breath is a testimony that the Creator still holds the world in His hands. Let us meet this age of doubt with steadfast joy. For our joy is in Christ. Our life is because of Christ. Our hope is the future prepared by Jesus Christ. And in Him, we are certain that the story of the world does not end in despair, but in glory.
May God bless you +
Fr. Charles
17 October 2025
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