A Fire of Hope

The light slowly and quietly breaks the dark condition of the horizon. The first glimpse of the sun gives energy to all who see and feel it. The canvas of colors instantly invites us into a renewal that we all know so well, for it is offered daily.

A renewal of life. A revival of our hearts. A restoration of our souls. Peace.

Beyond the peace, we feel a burning desire that smolders from within: a desire to start anew, escape the past, take a step forward, and breathe. We yearn to be fully alive right here and now in the present. We might call this intense desire Hope.

Over the years, we have run the risk of sentimentalizing this great virtue, making it into something passive or even cute. But those who pay attention to the deep desires from within that come to each dawn know otherwise. The intense smoldering of desire is not of smoke or ember; instead, it is a raging flame that points to being fully alive.

“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”

St. Augustine

Now more than ever, to hope is to have courage. To hope is to have strength. To hope is to seek the light within the darkness quietly. Just as there is no love without sacrifice, there is no hope without finding the great fire from within—a fire given to us by the One who made us. A fire felt with every silent light that invades the eroding darkness.

During these last few months, I have been resorting to the most fundamental things: Faith, Hope, and Love. These are the foundation of life, the place of rest for the heart, and the inexhaustible peace for the soul.

I have found myself once again yearning for wonder. Yearning for truth.

Yearning for the brilliant colors of each morning, igniting the fire within me.

Sunrise

What is the name of the deep breath I would take
over and over or all of us?
Call it whatever you want, it is
happiness, it is another one
of the ways to enter
fire.

Mary Oliver