13 December. This 'Wave of Hope' reflection comes from Abbot Hugh Allan O.Praem, Director of Mission for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Abbot Hugh Allan O.Praem, Director of Mission for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
Abbot Hugh reflects on Advent as a season of hope, and explains that though we may be tempted to despair during troubled times, it is our knowledge of – and deepening of – our lives with Jesus Christ that can make hope a reality in our lives.
“Without faith, hope is just another word for the cheap and cheesy optimism that the world uses to paper over the cracks. For us, the nature of hope is despair overcome. We can hope because we’re loved as sons and daughters by a loving God who’s truly present with us and engaged in our lives.”
Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.
You can also listen and subscribe to Wave of Hope as an audio podcast series.
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Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/
Hello, I’m Abbot Hugh Allan, and I’m the Director of Mission at the Bishops’ Conference.
Advent is a great season of hope, but hope isn’t always possible in everybody’s life. Once, Saint John Paul II was asked what he thought was going to be the biggest problem facing the world in the 21st century. The answer they expected was for him to say war or famine or disease or poverty. But he answered one word: despair.
Perhaps after the last couple of years, we know, more than ever, having gone through the COVID pandemic, the temptation to despair. But then there is only one answer to despair – the gift of hope.
For us in our Christian journey, our hope is not in something. Our hope is in someone – in Jesus Christ. And it’s in knowing him and deepening our life with him that our hope can be a reality in our lives. Scripture tells us again and again to fear not. In fact, going back to the first words of St. John Paul as Pope from the balcony, “don not be afraid.” The temptation to fear, anxiety, depression, fatigue, all experiences we can share, especially in hard moments in life.
But we come back to the answer, the source of our hope, our blessed hope, which is in knowing Jesus Christ. And as we continue through Advent, it’s about coming to know Christ better. For us, then, we need to answer a question, “do I really believe in Jesus Christ? Is he the one that I’m waiting for, that I’m longing for, that this Advent season is leading me to?”
It’s at the heart of our lives, and everything turns on the answer. How can we speak of hope if we don’t have someone to hope in? Because hope depends on faith. It can’t survive without the foundation of a passionate belief in something or someone higher and greater than ourselves.
Without faith, hope is just another word for the cheap and cheesy optimism that the world uses to paper over the cracks. For us, the nature of hope is despair overcome. We can hope because we’re loved as sons and daughters by a loving God who’s truly present with us and engaged in our lives. But are we ready to welcome him? Do we welcome him in our lives in prayer? Do we welcome him in seeing his presence in each other’s lives?
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And it doesn’t matter what problems or difficulties we’re facing. If we hold on to that hope, then we can know despair overcome, and to keep that at the heart of our advent journey.
Nikki Dhillon Keane is a therapist, trainer, author, activist and founder of 'Safe in Faith'.
Dr Christine Allen is Director of CAFOD, the Church's official aid agency.
