We need hope in our lives. Following Catherine McAuley there is no doubt that we are called to be women of ‘outrageous hope’.

Hope builds Trustfulness and Serenity

Heb.6:19 “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”

Catherine’s trust in Divine Providence is legendary. In September 1841, she reminds Mary Anne Doyle that “we have ever relied largely on divine providence, and we shall continue to do so”.

When she was beset with money problems Catherine trusted in God. She had her own currency (Hope) which she considered to be more reliable “than all the money in the Bank of Ireland”!

Even deeper than her reliance on Divine Providence, where money was concerned, was Catherine’s total self- surrender to the God she loved so passionately. Catherine often declared her trust in the “steady and steadying love of God”.

Hope gives us courage

Heb.10:39 “Hope is also that which gives us the courage to speak up, to speak openly and frankly about our belief even at times when it is dangerous to do so”

Catherine recognised that Hope blasts our deceptions away. It affects what we do with our day to day lives, with our time and with our talents.

Hope helps us to face Suffering and Death

Catherine’s own attitude to hope when in a difficult situation is seen in the way in which she encouraged her Sisters to keep on going even in the middle of extraordinary difficulties. Her hope seemed to increase as her physical health declined. She made light of her increasing disabilities to the extent that her death came as a surprise to many, even those closest to her.

The greatest example of hope in Catherine’s life is seen in her attitude in the face of death. Close to death she could say: “When we give ourselves entirely into the hand of God, He will sweetly ordain all things for our greater comfort, even in this life”.

“When we try to sidestep suffering and what might hurt us, “the bitter” in the cup, to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love and goodness, we drift into a life of emptiness. There may be little physical pain but there will be the darkness of meaninglessness and abandonment which is a much greater suffering when all is said and done”.

Hope makes us cheerful and good-humoured

Romans 12:12 “If you have hope, this will make you cheerful”

The truly human is marked by the humour of humble realism. Catherine was hope-filled, and this came through in her humility, in her warmth and good-humoured playfulness.

Some questions to ask ourselves.

Do we try to nurture the hope that roots our trust firmly in the loving providence of a merciful God? Are we growing in serenity and trustfulness, a trustfulness that is making us young at heart, that fights our tendency to turn in on ourselves, remembering the words of Emerson “as we age beauty steals inward”?

Do we try to nurture the hope that gives us courage to do what we can to further the Kingdom of God and to persevere in doing our bit as disciples, whatever it is, because if we have hope we will do it very well?

Are we grateful for all that God continues to do for us, in us and through us?  Do we remember who we are and why we do what we do?

Do we continue to nurture the hope that makes us patient and strong in the face of suffering, loss and death?  As signs of our mortality make themselves felt with ever greater insistency, have we the courage to remain vulnerable in prayer or do we run and hide?

Do we continue to nurture the hope that allows humility, humour and self-forgetfulness to bubble up in us: the hope that refuses to let us take ourselves too seriously and that allows us to surrender ourselves and our plans into the safe hands of God: hope that helps us be realistic and not only optimistic, but that also fosters acceptance and peace?

Let us be real disciples of Jesus Christ, true friends of Catherine McAuley and let’s not be afraid to show the world who and what we are, and above all where the source of our hope lies.

Peter 3:15. “Simply reverence the Lord Jesus in your hearts and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that is in you”.

Brenda Dolphin rsm
South Central Province