By Rev. Gilles Haché
IN SEASONS of uncertainty, when answers are delayed and paths seem unclear, hope becomes a form of silent prayer. It does not shout; it does not rush — it waits. And in that waiting, it bears witness to a deep trust: that God is at work, even when everything feels frozen.
Hope is not naïve. It knows tears, doubts, and silence. But it chooses to believe that morning will come, that healing is possible, that peace can rise in the heart of turmoil. To hope is to pray without words, with the very breath of our faith.
In our communities, our families, and our solitude, may hope to keep us faithful. May it lead us to pray not only for what we see, but for what we believe — even without proof, even without immediate answers.
For to hope is already to pray. And to pray is already to believe that God meets us in the waiting.
Advent is a season of waiting, but also of promise. We await the coming of Christ not as a memory of the past, but as a light breaking into our darkness today. In this waiting, hope becomes prayer — not just spoken words, but a living desire for justice, a longing for healing, and a commitment to transform what is broken.
To hope is to believe that God is at work even in silence. It is to pray for a world where wounds are healed, the excluded are welcomed, and truth and peace embrace our communities. It is to resist cynicism and choose to walk in faith, even when the path is uncertain.
In the spirit of the Turning to Grace plan, this waiting becomes true conversion. We turn our gaze toward grace — not as an abstract idea, but as a living force that transforms our lives, our communities, our Church. It is an invitation to leave behind rigid habits, to embrace the Spirit’s newness, and to walk together toward a Church that is more open, more courageous, and more rooted in the love of Christ.
So, in this Advent season, may our hope be active. May it become prayer in motion — a prayer that heals, liberates, and builds. For in waiting for Christ, we discover that justice is not a distant dream, but a work God begins in us, here and now.
Lord of light and promise,
in this Advent season, teach us to hope boldly.
May your Spirit guide us toward justice,
may your grace heal and transform us.
Make our waiting a living prayer,
and our journey a path to your love.
Amen.
Rev. Gilles Haché is Huron AFP executive member.
Photo: Alex Shute/Unsplash