As an order priest, I pray the liturgy of the hours. A priest prays the liturgy of the hours to sanctify the day, to make the day holy.  Often, I meditate on the Psalms, and Psalm 62 attracts me a lot.  Psalm 62 tells us about the hope which we have in God.  "In God alone is my soul at rest, my help comes from him.  He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress; I stand firm. (Psalm 62)
In America, I discovered a new thing, the day off. The second day after my arrival in America, one of the friars instructed me that I should make sure to have a day off.  I was told if I don't take a day off, I would be "burned out." I was faithful to these instructions.  Sometimes,  I wonder if God takes a day off. I believe when God does not answer our prayers in time, He is taking His day off.  Hope is the gift of God bestowed on us abundantly and which enables us to go on with our lives even if we think God is taking His day off. I hope God takes His day off on Thursday. I take the same day off.
Hope is very essential for me as a priest.  A priest should be a man of hope.  When people ask me to pray for them, what exactly do they mean? "Father, I need hope and strength to go through this crisis." What can I give to them? They expect me to strengthen their hope.  If I, as a priest, have no hope in Him, how can I strengthen my people with hope? When everything seems dark and cold, we need to have a good talk on living in the hope that God gives to us. "In God alone is my soul at rest, my help comes from him. He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress, I stand firm." 
We know that hope is one of the theological virtues and is a gift from God. Daily, we need to nourish and strengthen hope and make it alive and active. There are certain natural habits we need to cultivate in our life, such as a good sense of humor, an upbeat personality, a cheerful, optimistic outlook on life. We need to have realistic attitude about life.  If any trouble comes our way, we need to think positively that this, too, shall pass. 

Last year,  I went to New Orleans for the National Stewardship Conference when Hurricane Ivan was supposed to hit.  There were 1,600 people in one of the great hotels.  When the city was evacuated, we were asked to cancel our conference before the scheduled time. Of course, we did.  Almost 800 people remained in the hotel.  My friends from Epiphany (Coon Rapids) decided to stay since our flight was canceled. Many people made their Confession and made themselves spiritually ready to face Ivan the Terrible.   I spent some quiet time in my hotel room on 20^th floor, looking out the window at the ocean, wondering when it would to be over. We remained there for two days, but nothing happened.  Everyone in New Orleans was safe, and Ivan passed without damaging anything in the city.  I remembered the words of St. Bernard: "If Christ is with us, who is against us? You can fight with confidence where you are sure of victory.  With Christ and for Christ, victory is certain."   
We know that we are weak human beings.  We seem to lose the battle sometimes. What can we do? We need to know ourselves like the Curé of Ars knew himself: "When tempted to lose hope, I have only one resource -- to throw myself at the foot of the tabernacle like a little dog at the foot of the Master." My priesthood itself will hardly survive and remain vigorous and life giving if I do not have hope.   I will certainly be of no substantial service to my people if I can't give them the hope they crave. Affirming your hope is an essential part of my priestly ministry here at St. John's.

ADORATION SIGN-UP NEXT WEEKEND: Fr. Michael Becker  will speak at the 4:30 p.m. Mass on August 6, and Fr. James Livingston will speak at all Masses on August 7. They will address the benefits and blessings that perpetual adoration brings to the parish and to people on a personal level. You are invited to sign-up to spend one hour a week with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There are prayer partners and substitute adorers for the times when you cannot keep your hour. Adorers will be available in the Plaza after all Masses to answer any questions you may have.

POTLUCK ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 18: All adorers are invited to a potluck dinner following a special 6:00 p.m. Mass. Watch for details in next week's bulletin.