“To Christians, the future does have a name, and its name is Hope. Feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself into darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow.”
Pope Francis 2017
We are surrounded by goodness and beauty, by people striving for the good of others, by a million small gestures of kindness and love. Yet if we listen to the news channels we can easily feel somewhat overwhelmed as we hear story after story of suffering, self-seeking leadership, climate crisis… How then can we find hope and not be paralysed? Perhaps it is by recognising the truth of both – there is much that is suffering in our world, and yet still, in the face of it all people still choose goodness, still strive to do what is right, still forgive, console, love.
Faithful Companions of Jesus 
Today I have joined a Taizé prayer and the last pray we have sung was: It is good to trust and hope in God. I have come home with that song in my head and heart: “Bonus est confidere in Domino, bonus esperare in Domino”. May we trust in God, present both in our suffering/despair and in our joys/welldoing.