”Where there’s hope, there’s life!” – Jennifer E. Dolman
Already as a preteen child, I recall being very certain that this was the true order, and I mulled it over quite deeply in my thoughtful moments.
Both in real life that i experienced and observed, and in the many books I read, I felt this was confirmed.
Recently while starting this blogpost, I googled the source of the more common aphorism: “where there’s life, there’s hope”. Some give the source as Ecclesiastes 9:3 – “But all who are among the living have hope, because a living dog is better than a dead lion.“ Some mention Tolkein’s hobbit, Sam, in Lord of the Rings, who quotes his “gaffer” who said where there’s life there’s hope, as he encourages Frodo to eat and then to rest, during their arduous journey.
While skimming through google’s search, I spotted a quote by Anne Frank – she also liked it my way, i.e. where there’s hope, there is life! And I wonder if perhaps I was influenced by her! I definitely had read a paperback edition of her diary given me by my Mum when I was quite young.
“Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.” – Anne Frank wrote from her attic in hiding, in her early teens.
She also added: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” With this, I do not agree: I’m more with Aleksandr Solzenitsyn who wrote in his Gulag Archipelago:
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained”.
My opinion on this matter has remained over the decades, because I have met people and situations both in books and in real life who have illustrated my viewpoint. Seriously, how can one really live, without a source of hope!! Its opposite, Despair, is considered a serious sin in Roman Catholicism, and, i believe for good reason. I believe it places me and humanity at the centre of one’s hope, and leaves no room for belief in a good God to exist, nor for the opportunity for God to act.
I did notice this year in updates from the Jewish Federation of Vancouver, in response to the October 7 tragedy and the ensuing outbreak of war, that in the Jewish community also, there was a call to hope.
This is a bad moment in history, a moment in which I experience deep despair. But Elie Wiesel z’l, survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize said, “We Jews have every right to despair but we cannot. We are commanded to hope.”
And that we will do.
We will overcome even this.
And we will continue to hope.
[The] commitment…of the government of BC is a message of hope. Ultimately, securing the future of Holocaust education will help us counter prejudice and racism, promote tolerance and equality, and defeat antisemitism. All this must be done. We must prevent Auschwitz from entering our lives. That requires well-educated people who can recognize truth from fiction and learn from the past.”
Quite from Dr. Robert Krell, psychiatrist, in the weekly newsletter sent by from Ezra Schanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Vancouver. ( November 3, 2023 )
Interestingly, no Bible reference is given, it seems Elie Wiesel is issuing the command….but from my knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures, there are plenty of references in the Psalms eg Psalm 130 and 131 and in the Prophets. Israel is commanded to wait/ hope in the LORD.
When i was close to turning fourteen years of age( Spring Break 1972), our parents took my brothers and I on a trip to England. We visited Porthleven, Cornwall, the small fishing village where my father was born; we met great- aunts, aunts and uncles and cousins in the surrounding areas. ( Below: with our Uncle Gerald and Aunt Mary in Devoran, Cornwall and with Uncle William and Aunt Betty, in Paignton, Devon). Mary and Betty were my father’s younger sisters.
We drove as far north as Haworth, on the edge of the wild Yorkshire moors, and visited the museum home of the Brönte family, the three famous writer sisters, whose intense and memorable novels ( eg. Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights), I had read several times over….my father was a good sport and agreed to drive us all the way up there for me!
On the way, we passed through the small city of Coventry and visited St. Michael’s Cathedral. Bombed in 1940 during a blitzkrieg in World War II ( in one night over 600 civilian people were killed), it is known world wide since then as a centre for peace and reconciliation. Here’s a brief clip about the history of this place. ( press on the link and a prompt should come up to open). Very interesting!!
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/11/08/november-8-2013-coventry-cathedral/20993/
The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation ( found below the Crosses of beams and nails)
The Litany was written in 1958 and focuses on the seven deadly sins. It reminds us that when we pray about the problems of the world around us, we need to begin by acknowledging the roots of those problems in our own hearts. ( Aleksandr Solzenytsen had a similar Christian Biblical view of humanity).
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father, forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father, forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father, forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father, forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father, forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father, forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father, forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave
you.
After walking around the outdoor courtyard of the the bombed cathedral, our family had a tour of the new adjoining modernist cathedral by one of the priests, and we spent some time with the organist (my older brother plays). When the the guide took us around to see the wall sized colourful stained glass window, he said quite personably: “You know, even on the greyest, darkest day, the centre always remains bright!” He made the connection with Jesus, the Light of the world.
My (almost) fourteen year old heart and mind and soul, just beginning young womanhood, absorbed that experience deeply. The personal words of the priest guide and the visual experience of the constant brightness in the centre of the richly coloured glass, in the larger setting of God’s mercy; the powerful prayer of “Father forgive” amidst the visible ruins of war’s destructive power - in juxtaposition with the beauty of the new cathedral and the international programme ( which continues to this day), demonstrating the extension of peace and reconciliation to others who have hurt one badly i.e. loving one’s enemies! All of this remained with me and percolated during my teenage years.
I returned back to Coventry several times: in 1978, when I just turned twenty, and i obtained a copy of the prayer; later with my husband and a friend in 1991, and then again in 2013 with my younger brother and partner. All memorable visits! I am so thankful that our parents introduced us at a young age to Coventry Cathedral and the deep truths it showcases. We had no religious instruction at home from either parent, my mother was a secular Jew, raised with no traditions, my father a non- practicing Christian, but through our school teachers and absorbing history such as on this family journey, we were nurtured and educated, nonetheless and were free to follow as we chose.
When I was 16, in Grade 12, I participated as usual in our annual Crofton House School Carol Service held at Christ Church Cathedral. That year, I was asked to read a Bible passage from John’s gospel from the pulpit. As i didn’t quite understand the meaning of the few verses, I asked the Dean of the Cathedral at that time, Herbert O’Driscoll, to please explain the meaning to me. He did, and I read, (somewhat nervously from the high pulpit), along with two friends who also had chosen readings for the time of Advent.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:1-5, 9
( Photo from archives, December 17, 1974).https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/crofton-house-carol-service
By God’s great mercy, I have lived for many decades now in the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection life within me. His Holy Spirit and the words of the Bible remind me and assure me of His promise, not only to guide me daily, but that He will come again to this struggling world, to set things right, serving justice and bringing renewal for all of suffering Creation. And although the faith journey does not seem to become easier with age and experience, this trust in God, when regularly nurtured, does continues to change despair to hope in me and gives me joy and strength for life, even in the darkest of times. And my eyes are opened to see miracles of light….truly, the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. As we honour Him, he honours us with his presence, guidance and loving care. ( Our family celebrates both Channukah and Advent & Christmas). In Advent we remember the first coming of Jesus to this dark world, and also look forward to his second coming, in glory. In this dark time of year and with the constant bad news of world events, this brings great hope as we are warmed by the colourful display of candlelight. ( Channukah reminds me that God still does miracles that can be seen by those who seek to honour Him).
Jesus Messiah, the One in whom my heart trusts and hopes, and whom I continue to follow, since a child of ten years until now, an older adult, a retiree!
“Even on the darkest day, the centre always remains bright!”
Jesus, the Light of the world!
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – Gospel of John 8:12
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – Gospel of John 1:5
JenniEliz 