The
memory of good times helps us
through the bad times.
Sometimes we wonder if we have
enough strength to go on,
enough charity to be kind again
today, enough hope for
tomorrow. The memory of good
times in the past can give us
strength to be virtuous. We
know that adversity in the past
has made us who we are today.
We believe that the adversity
of today will make us better
for tomorrow.
God has
promised us good times. God
made this promise through many
generations of the chosen
people. When they were beset by
loss of property, exile, and
the death of those whom they
loved, they often wondered what
their future would be. But God
promised better days. They knew
from the past that God
delivered on promises like
this, and they found hope for
the present.
The
promises of God were so sacred
that they became our
scriptures. Saint Paul says,
“Whatever was written
previously was written for our
instruction, that by endurance
and by the encouragement of the
scriptures we might have hope.”
By examining God’s past
promises, we take comfort. We
know that even in the midst of
adversity, we are still held in
God’s hands.
Jesus
came to confirm God’s promises
to the patriarchs. During
Advent we hear these promises
over and over again. They
prepare us for the joy of
Christmas. God has prepared the
way for Christ, and God is
still guiding the church that
is Christ’s body.
