For a long time, Emily Dickinson’s image of hope spoke to me: “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.” It’s a delicate image, beautiful and comforting to me. For most of my life, I heard hope singing, persistent even in the face of great difficulties.
Then one day, as I experienced a deep and painful grief, the sweet singing stopped, silent for a long while. With healing work, hope rose again, scarred, but strong, courageous, resourceful and resilient, singing heartily and hiking toward the future with her sisters, faith and love at her side. We hiked together; faith holding the past, love carrying the present, and hope always moving forward, clearing a path to the next ridge, even in blazing heat. When I laid down, ready to give up, the sisters got me through. Faith reminded me that others had gone before me and shared their wisdom. Love wiped my face, tended my wounds, and fed me cakes and honey. Hope stood me up, began to break trail and sang courage.
In the spring of 2022, Matthew (@crowsfault) posted on X (Twitter):
“People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider’s webs. It’s not. Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a tooth as she rises for another go.”
I knew her – scrappy, determined, relentless, just like her sisters, faith and love. In the wake of COVID, racial reckonings, increased gun violence and rising political tensions, the 2022 social media world seemed to embrace this tough and bloodied image of hope. In recent years, imagining a future of justice, equality and peace, she and her sisters have protested for racial and gender equality, marched against gun violence, and voted for a woman’s right to reproductive healthcare.
The baptismal covenant calls us to faithfully believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, to strive for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of everyone. We do not have the luxury of abandoning faith, losing hope, or allowing love to fall to fear, indifference or apathy. Like many through history, we are in the fight of our lives. We must hold fast to faith, love the world and one another with all that we have, and follow hope through the blood and dirt as she rises to have another go. Steadfast faith, relentless hope, fierce love. They are the only things that will save us. They are Jesus, living in a world on fire.
–Sr Miriam Elizabeth, OSH
What is an image of hope that you hold? How are faith, hope and love walking with you in the world today?
From divine Love came a gift to us: Sister Miriam, who offers the gift she received of creative expression. We can take up her words and say them over to ourselves., thank God