make strides in cleaning up the Great Lakes and ensuring everyone has access to clean, safe drinking water—regardless of socioeconomic status—are not priorities shared by everyone. It is easy to lose hope. But, according to the Pope, when people face great difficulties against insurmountable odds and choose to have faith, courage, and commitment, that is when hope appears. Using stories from the Old and New Testament as illustrations, the Pope has been talking about hope since the first of the year. He shares story after story—using hope as the basis for prayer to address issues like human trafficking; the fate of the Rohingya people being driven out of Myanmar; the terrible suffering in South Sudan; the food shortage in the Horn of Africa that is condemning millions of people—including children—to die from hunger. He even talks about water. “We are often tempted to think that Creation is our property, a possession that we can exploit as we please, and for which we must account to no one . . . Creation is a wondrous gift that God has placed in our hands, so that we may enter a relationship with him and we may recognize in it the imprint of his loving plan, the fulfillment of which calls us all to work together, day after day,” he told an audience in February. “However, when a human being allows himself to succumb to selfishness, he ends up defacing even the most beautiful things that have been entrusted to him," he continued. "And this has also happened with Creation. Let us think about water. Water is something beautiful and very important. Water gives us life; it helps us in everything, but, in order to exploit minerals, water is contaminated; Creation is sullied and Creation is destroyed.” When it comes to the planet, he is speaking my language. And today, the day I happen to be in his presence, he is speaking about my namesake. I am meant to pay attention. Hope is something of the heart. Difficult to define, easier to witness. I think about all the men and women I have interviewed over the last twelve years, people who demonstrate courage in their tireless efforts to protect the fresh waters of the earth; all the readers who have chosen to get engaged, to insist clean, safe water be made a priority. In my mind, they, like Mary, are mothers of hope. But there is more to the story about my time in Vatican Square. When the Pope drove through the audience blessing the ten thousand people in attendance, I witnessed a man totally present with those around him. Me included. This world leader who has chosen to influence the culture of a church steeped in over two thousand years of tradition; who is trying to broker peace in a splintered world; is educating millions on the importance of hope; this man taught me what it means to be present. For while he drove through the audience kissing over a hundred babies that morning, when he paused to kiss ten-month-old Annie, the daughter and granddaughter of the two women at my side, there was no one else in the Square. That total presence in the face of a child is how I will always think of hope. Armed with that picture, I smell the fragrance of spring blanketing the earth and continue my efforts to protect the waters of the earth for little children like Annie. Thank you for doing the same. Source: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2017.index.html Annie's mother and grandmother travelled to Rome from Germany, hoping to have Annie blessed by the Pope. She was given his undivided attention, his love, and his hope for her and all her family.
9 Comments
Kristen Kennedy
5/21/2017 08:13:06 am
Beautifully written, timely message.
Reply
Eric Stemle
5/21/2017 11:48:46 am
Mary, your post took my breath away. In gorgeous terms you described being drawn to a transformative experience—I sensed in a tiny way the extraordinary energy that you and your fellow travelers must have felt in the presence of the Pope. As Mary’s namesake, you have been called to give birth to change, and with every post, you send out a call to the rest of us. Every day, we have a chance to be present in a moment of hope just as Francis found an eternal moment with Annie. Thank you, my friend!
Reply
Mary Ellen Miller
5/21/2017 12:19:35 pm
Wow . . . what an absolutely beautiful and powerfully written piece, Mary. In addition to the profound ideas, the touching photography, so skillfully inserted, is the perfect accompaniment to the message! It restores my hope. Thank you.
Reply
Sandy Hack
5/21/2017 01:10:06 pm
During these times, it seems that hope and prayer are everything. We are going to Rome next month and my hope is to see the Pope. I don't think we'll be there on the right day but knowing you saw and listened to him somehow lessens my disappointment. My hope for you is that you will always be able to blog with your feet in clean water.
Reply
Jerilynn Tuvker
5/22/2017 07:31:52 am
Thank-you Mary , for sharing your thoughts and the Pope's exhortations. Both are inspiring.
Reply
Pamela Harman Daugavietis
5/24/2017 09:28:03 am
Mary, your words so beautifully express my own feelings and values and I thank you for sharing your experience and your passion with so much authenticity and positivity in spite of the many challenges we face. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Reply
Karen
5/24/2017 10:14:12 am
Lurking Spiders...I've got some. The scariest is my mom's Dementia. Just when I think I'll have a wee bit of free time to act on a passion--or even just to breathe, she calls. And the next several hours are spent going down the rabbit hole. I begin to question my purpose as I cry, crumbled in a heap.
Reply
5/24/2017 10:29:06 am
Beautiful and just in time.
Reply
Molly Laflin
1/5/2018 02:47:33 pm
Not only is this piece moving and inspirational, it has sparked comments from others that have also touched my heart and made me pause to think. It is hard for me to focus on compassion when I see so much greed, posturing and violence in the world. The light you shine helps. No good comes from despair; in fact, it's rather self-indulgent. Thank you for reminding me. There really is a lot of goodness when I take the time to see it.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Available
from your local bookstore or online retailer and on this site. ![]() The Ideal Gift Tiny Treasures, a collection of wildflower photographs and poetic prose, available by clicking on the Purchase Products button below. The 2nd Edition of Tiny Treasures is designed for use on PCs, tablets, and phones and is available at online stores. To learn more, click on the Ibook/Ebook button below:
|