Ambient darkness, wind and cold remind us of the despair which the deception of hopelessness can ignite within our souls. It seems so fitting to select the virtue of hope as a point of contemplation during the dark, cold seemingly endless winter month of February. Through this virtue we are abundantly blessed with a supernatural confidence in the happiness of eternity with God. The Baltimore catechism question reverberates within many of our memories~ Why did god make you~God made me to know Him and love Him and serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next."
Hope is inseparable from our love for God. The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Family, who resonded to every tribulation with confident hope in God. This chapter of The 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation most beautifully explains the relationship between the virtue of hope and a loving yearning for God, which the souls in purgatory exprience. As stated in The 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation "the first and foremost object of our hope is the possession of God in heaven". As we contemplate this virtue during the month of February, we are inspired by Jesus, Mary and Joseph and their life of hope.