Hope Does Not Disappoint
BY MADDIE LAFORGE | June 13, 2022
Sunday’s Readings
On Trinity Sunday, our readings begin with a tremendous proclamation from Spirit Sophia. As the third person of the Trinity, sometimes she can be left out or forgotten. Today, Sophia makes her presence known and felt deep within our hearts, minds, and even our bodies. In the proverb, we hear her shouting, “I was there!” From the very beginning, Sophia has been moving, shaking, and making the world around us alive with Divine Presence.
Sophia, the craftsman:
strong enough to hold ocean
sure enough to raise mountains
creative enough to design sky
playful enough to have fun
We see the Holy Spirit in firm, persevering mountains. We awe in God’s expansiveness when we look across the ocean from our tiny place on shore. This same spirit whose generous handiwork is beyond comprehension, delights in us. Our powerful Creator God doesn’t just tolerate us. She genuinely enjoys being with us in the midst of it all. Like the wonders of creation, Sophia’s sheer delight is so expansive it pours forth. Our wise, careful craftsman chooses to make God’s love come alive in us. We too manifest God’s love on Earth when we are strong, sure, creative and playful, when we choose perseverance and utter delight.
Sometimes God’s love can be left out or forgotten… or even combatted. Surrounded by darkness or sunk in desolation, it can be hard to notice God’s presence. We may feel like the disciples questioning Jesus, desperately yearning for clarity or reassurance. When it is too murky to see, too clamorous to hear, too sad to be amazed… There Sophia makes her presence known and felt: Hope. So, Jesus reminds us disciples:
Wade on when the water turns murky
Walk on when the ground gets shaky
Believe in the Guiding Spirit
Who makes her presence known and felt
Because hope does not disappoint.
Maddie LaForge, M.Div., is a New Orleans native currently residing in Denver, CO. She teaches theology at Regis Jesuit High School. Her love for the classroom goes back to her time as a Jesuit Volunteer at Colegio Miguel Pro in Tacna, Peru. Maddie is a graduate of Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology and Spring Hill College.
Magnificent! Hope does not disappoint! The presence of Sophia is all around us. May she inspire an open heart to see and hear her presence each and every day.
Thank you!
As we struggle with our schools to bring the Trinity to all especially the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit bring light to the situations we face while the parents, teachers, students, administrators, pastor and all stakeholderswho struggle to make sure you Spirit is present and visible to all. Help us to have clarity of mind and heart when people are not treated fairly in an enterprize that craves fairness, hospitality, goodness, peace and the struggle of getting there. May we immerse ourselves in prayer to the Holy Spirit so we can direct to you. We need you to be with us everyday, all day to resolve the issues present in the school. We ask that you give courage and delight to all who perserve through this breakthrew to what needs to be accomplished with you, Holy Spirit.
“Today, Sophia makes her presence known and felt deep within our hearts, minds, and even our bodies. In the proverb, we hear her shouting, “I was there!””
I love this. Will print it and meditate on it often
I love this. Will print it and meditate on it often.
This is the first time I have ever commented on your website.
I love this reflection’s highlight on the playfulness and feminine as integral to God’s being and our own lives too. Thank you!
When I am hopeful I see the good in others and imagine the possibilities. Disappointment doesn’t enter my mind as I am open to God’s will and know that our Lord knows best. This is both freeing and energizing.
Sophia, the craftsman:
strong enough to hold ocean
sure enough to raise mountains
creative enough to design sky
playful enough to have fun.
If we can encourage all our young people to spend time out in nature, they come alive in the Spirit. Sadly, too much focus has been spent on the 3R’s in recent years since lockdown began, and all forms of creativity were removed from the school syllabus in Austria. In NZ the health regulations are so strict that children are no longer allowed to go on school camps in nature, For many city children that was their only opportunity to experience nature.
From the unreal lead me to the real. From the darkness lead me to the light.
From death lead me to immortality. – The Pavamana Mantra