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A Sister of St. Paul of Chartres has a meditation in View from the Ark of the Catholic Times on Hope.
On the familiar road of her hometown, on the way home, she was caught between a truck hauling a large load and a car chasing her from behind, and she was momentarily unsure what to do. It was a brief moment, but it reflected our time, when we don't know where to put our minds in the hyper-digital era.
In the midst of voices of concern that the country is on the verge of extinction due to the declining birth rate, and the movement to become a leading country in artificial intelligence (AI) by promoting economic growth, in-depth discussions on renewable energy issues, human alienation in the labor market, and ethical issues are all discussed. Some people discuss how history progresses and why it regresses.
If we go one step further in diagnosing the uncertain future that surrounds us and ask the essential question of life: what happens to the most basic food and drink that life requires, human labor remains the same, with little change. We still cook rice and trim green onions and garlic to eat. Even with digital culture in our hands, people live their daily lives with all their hearts, praying and facing pain. When fundamental rights are denied, they fight to regain them, resist with all their hearts, and stand together to pave the way to a better future.
In this era of easy change, before we can adapt to the beautiful values we want to inherit, other things rush in, and we pass super fast and don't allow ourselves to stay and look at who we are and ask what we are about, who I am, and how the world works.
However, the religious and monks who remain silent in the presence of God and prepare for their ordination and lifelong vows are no different from the hermits who once stayed in the desert to become monks. Even amid urgent global issues that could disappear at any moment, new hope always permeates. In short, God's birth, how can we not hope in the face of this tremendous fact?
There is hope. With hope, we can once again create a unique dance that belongs to humanity. The miracle that faith brings—yes, it is. We have the space to pray and preserve together the precious values that we must strive to protect.
In our Catholic Tradition, we have many miracle stories with their history of hope. Isn't the miracle born from their prayers a long-standing sign of new hope for us? By walking this path of faith through constant daily prayer, is it not through continuing to walk in hope that our future lies?
We dedicate our existence at the close of this year, under the gracious light of this holy Christmas, to the Lord, with a passage from a poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890), proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV in November this year.
"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th’encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me."
A Blessed and Happy Christmas.
