‘Set a course for increased hope and peace’

“Last month, I issued a letter to the people of our diocese, a reflection on the virtue of hope as we begin the Jubilee Year of Hope. In that teaching, I highlighted the adage of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, who summarized the Christian life with these words: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” In this, the saint made the unavoidable connection between prayer, and increased hope in the one to whom we direct our prayers, the Lord, and the result of possessing hope: freedom from worry, also known as peace! We can use the presence or absence of peace in our hearts as a barometer of the health of our spirits.  In other words, if we lack peace, the remedy is prayer, which increases hope and produces peace!

In the next couple of weeks, we will be into another holy season of Lent — Ash Wednesday is March 5 this year. This season, nestled in this Jubilee Year of Hope, could be the means of increased hope (in a world that sometimes seems hopeless) and, as a result, increased peace in our world and within. Our plan for Lent, then, can be nothing less than adopting practices that will increase our hope and our peace. Jesus himself identifies three privileged spiritual practices that will, as Pope Francis recommended above, “fan the flame of hope.” They are: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Prayer, whether alone or amid the community of the church, is that act by which we recall the Lord and, further, recall that we need not manage our lives alone.

Fasting, often referred to as “giving something up,” is an act by which we choose to go without so that God can fill us in our emptiness. For me, the supreme act of fasting, going without, is the crucifixion of Jesus. Here Jesus shows that when an act of emptying ourselves is dedicated to God, God can use this occasion to fill the world with love. So … fasting is not simply a meaningless deprivation; instead, we can dedicate fasting to God and trust that he can use it, like the cross, to pour his life and goodness into the world. In this vein, I like to offer my fasting (penance) for individuals, asking God to use my sacrifices for their good. When fasting becomes other-focused and an act of love, it becomes a “burden that is light.”

Finally, almsgiving can lead to hope. First, when I give away what I might think I need, I discover the hope that comes when God cares for me anyway! Secondly, the beneficiary of my sacrificial giving will increase in hope through my generous care.

Lent is not far away — let’s set a course for increased hope and peace. Through intentional acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, let us “fan the flame of hope” in ourselves and others and, as a result, bring the peace of Christ more fully into the world. With Christ’s peace renewed in our midst, this year will indeed be a Jubilee of Hope! Know of my prayer, fasting, and almsgiving on behalf of you all — and all the people of my new home in western South Dakota.

Sincerely in Christ,
+Bishop Scott E. Bullock