all hope is never lost

Today in the One Year Bible, we read from Luke 23:44-24:12. This is the part of the story where Jesus dies and is buried by Joseph of Arimathea. When I was a Jesuit novice, I meditated on this passage for a day, and when Jesus died, I tried to imagine myself in the scene with Him.

And when I did, I imagined that I was thinking that since Jesus was dead, all hope was lost. I tried to fall into the deep, dark sadness of Jesus being dead and every hope of redemption and salvation being gone forever.

But God wouldn't let me imagine that. He prevented me from falling into the dark state, even in my imagination. He assured me that even at that dark time in the world's history, there was still hope. That no matter how dark the night gets in the world, throughout history and in your life today, that there will always be hope.

So don't despair. He hears your cries. He knows your pain. He will make all things right again.

There is hope.

God, thanks for being the source of all hope - and for never letting hope go away.