In this morning’s second reading (1PT 3:15-18) Peter speaks of the virtue of hope – not just that it is a virtue to be practiced but something more. He says, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.”

Hope is generally defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, a feeling of trust, and in religious terms is connected to a trust in God and an expectation of a final reunion with God upon one’s death. The word appears today for many of us as one of a trio of theological virtues: faith, hope and love (charity).

If I were asked about the reality of hope in my life, how would I answer? And if there were the follow-on question about the reason for my hope, might I give something more than words that I learned in early faith formation and speak from the depth of my life experience? Today I will ask myself those questions and spend time mining for the gold of an answer.