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September 4, 2025I was on my way to bring my boys to a sports lesson one afternoon when they were young.
In the car, one said that he had counted the number of times a phrase was mentioned in a commercial. It was a contest that he and one of his friends were doing. He mentioned that according to his counting, she was wrong and he needed to tell her. He seemed quite insistent and eager to bring it to her attention. I cautioned him about how he was going to do that, to dial the enthusiasm to correct her down a bit. He said, “Mom, I don’t want her to think she’s right and get her hopes up.” I then better understood his intentions.
So I said to him, "I know you aren't doing it to be mean, that isn't what's in your heart. But stop to think - why would you take someone's hope away? In this case, it's a contest that thousands will enter answers for anyway, so in the grand scheme it won't really matter who's right. But she will remember the way you made her feel." I strongly cautioned him - don't take away or diminish someone's hope in an effort to be right.
I recently revisited this memory because I was faced with another situation where these words resonated.
The word “hope” has also permeated this year of the 2025 Jubilee with Pope Francis’s chosen theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” This word is a powerful one that is uplifting to those feeling low. It stimulates enthusiasm for what is possible and energizes believers into action that can make those possibilities reality. It is an invitation to expect good things because we rely on God’s Word and we don’t let the lies of the world pull us under. As St. Paul told the Romans, “Hope does not disappoint.” (Romans 5:5)
As we move through the moments of our days that offer a variety (even a roller coaster) of emotions, carry that four-letter word “hope” in your heart and let it re-center you, like a course-correction for your mood or your day. And let us also be careful of diminishing someone else’s hope. You'd be surprised (and you'll never know) who is hanging on by that one thread of hope through their faith. It is always better to love than to be right.