We serve in hope, as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul motto proclaims in Latin: serviens in spe. Not for hope, but in hope. We seek not to become hopeful ourselves, but to share and to give hope for those in despair, to “those in need and the forgotten, the victims of exclusion or adversity.” [Rule, Part I, 1.5] Yet, we can’t share hope if we don’t already have it ourselves.

Bl. Frédéric often counseled his friends on the importance of hope. “Hold strong and firm against the storms that will be sure to descend upon you,” he wrote, “and beware of despair most of all, for this is the death of the soul.” [42, to Falconnet, 1831] Despair is the opposite of hope. Indeed, the root of the word is that same Latin word that appears in our motto: spe, hope. To be in despair is to be without hope.

The neighbors who call us are often in despair, or on the brink of it. Suffering from poverty, fearful of what is to become of them without food, or shelter, or the utilities that bring comfort, they begin to turn inward, and to see only these overwhelming material needs. It is no wonder so many lose hope. We are so greatly blessed by the benefactors who give us the means to relieve so many of these fears, and we feel as relieved as the neighbor when we provide that small relief.

Yet relieving those needs, by itself, is not true hope, for “If we cannot hope for more than is effectively attainable at any given time, or more than is promised by political or economic authorities, our lives will soon be without hope.” [Spe salvi, 35] A loaf of bread relieves hunger, but hunger is the lack of food, not the lack of hope. If the only relief we bring is material relief, then the only hope we offer is hope in ourselves, and we are unworthy servants; servants who will assuredly fall short in the future. The hope in which we are called to serve is much greater than that, because it does not depend on us!

It is easy to sink into despair when this worldly life seems so despicable. Hope reminds us instead to regard life “as the Creator’s most perfect of works, as the sacred vestments with which the Savior has willed to clothe himself: life then is worthy of reverence and love.” [136, to Lallier, 1836]

It is Christ’s own example, living as man, suffering and dying as the lowliest among us, only to be reborn to new life that reveals the one, true hope. So, it is only by our imitation of Christ through selfless service, sharing in the neighbors’ suffering, and walking with them as friends that we may hope to share a glimpse of God’s great love, bringing with it the hope not only that their suffering will end, but that their lives will begin anew.

Hope is not a feeling, but a blessing and a virtue to be shared.

Contemplate

Do I have enough hope to share it with the neighbor?

By Timothy Williams,
Senior Director of Formation & Leadership Development
Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA.