From ”An Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

Thought for the Day: There is something about our nature that keeps us hopeful. The great poet (and theologian, to some extent) Alexander Pope was fascinated with human existence. He believed, and I agree, that we see only a fraction of the truth of existence, that our minds and insatiable curiosity help us discover much about how the universe works, but not everything. I love science and think it has revealed incredible truths and raised powerful questions about the nature of reality and existence. And hope is found in those questions—hope that we are more than we’ve thought, that the universe is even more alive and conscious than we’ve dared to dream, and hope that ultimately, we will all wake up from the slumber of war and conflict and selfishness, and start living with eyes and hearts more open to God’s universal love.

Prayer: Hope is where the heart is, and my heart rests firmly in you, God of all creation. Amen.