Three Tools We Carry as Pilgrims of Hope

“Who will be my life raft?” These words came from a dear friend, spiritual director, and ministry colleague, who authentically lives her call to discipleship. Her words poured out of her lips as she generously held space for so many who were struggling to hold onto hope in hard times. Through her listening ear, her encouraging words of faith, and her prayers for others, she was offering a life raft of hope to those suffering. Her pilgrim journey of being a voice of hope had led her to a moment of wondering if there were someone who could offer her the life raft of hope she was offering others.

I ponder my friend’s words almost daily. Her words resonate in me as a pilgrim of hope and as one who listens to many other pilgrims of hope. Her words echo one of our deepest Christian longings: to know we have a life raft of hope on the pilgrimage of life. As on any pilgrimage, we carry tools with us that buoy our belief in the life raft offered to us.

Hearts of Christ

St. Peter reminds us to be ready to give reasons for our hope (1 Peter 3:15). If someone asks me why I can hope today, my number-one reason is I know I am not alone. I carry Christ in my heart. Christ resides in me within my inner chapel. This means that no matter what I endure or go through, I do not face it alone.

The life raft we long for on the pilgrimage of life lives within us. Christ is our companion who is never apart from us. He is our source of hope. We carry Christ, hope himself, within our hearts.

Eyes of Compassion

As St. Teresa of Ávila reminds us, ours “are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.” Compassion is the pilgrim of hope’s way of seeing the world. Gerald Fagin, SJ, in his book, Putting on the Heart of Christ, writes that there are three movements of compassion. First, we see the suffering of others. Second, we allow what we see to move to our hearts so that we feel the suffering of our brothers and sisters. Third, we allow ourselves to draw near to another in order to help alleviate the suffering we see.

Seeing with eyes of compassion is a sign of hope in the world. When we look at the world with eyes of compassion, we put our hearts of Christ into action. Jesus, who lives in us, sees everything that we see. Christ, who dwells within us, feels everything we feel. He, too, is moved to action, not only to help us in our suffering, but also to help us draw near to another’s suffering.

Hands of Hope

Our hands are Christ’s hands. What my friend came to understand is that part of living her hope in this world was to use her hands boldly to be a tangible sign of hope to others. In doing so, Jesus was reminding her that he had her in his hands, and he also held those with whom she was walking.

Christ empowered her to cry out to him and reach out for him. Jesus met her in her cries and helped her cling to him. In turn, she was able to toss the life raft of Christ to others again and again. Christ was in her, and she was in Christ.

Who will be our life raft on this pilgrimage of life? The answer is simple: Christ.