I've been reading your blog or following your Instagram or SubStack for years. Wherever you've gone, I've followed. I love reading your stuff; it's so thoughtful, full of tangible joy, wisdom, or, most recently, pain. I'm much, much younger than you, the same age as your eldest children and, even though I have my own loving parents who are a source of guidance, your writing has been a valued source of vicarious life experience for me. Thank you!
Reading this piece, in which Christian hope plays a central role, one question comes to mind: beside hope for a better tomorrow, that things would become the case, did you ever have hope for eternal life, for salvation, for unity with the God that Catholics worship? Did you ever think that heaven would become the case for you?
The cornerstone of Christianity is that life is eternal and death does not mean the end. That definition of hope, that faith that better things will eventually become the case, must be applied to life as it is understood by Christians: that it won't end when you die. Christianity does not hold together if you do not hold this view.
One's life may very well be "shit" from day one til the day one dies. Absolutely hellish vision if you think that is all there is.
Two thoughts: 1) would Patreon work? I see a lot of creatives using Patreon for both monetized and free content. 2) I’m struck by what my business coach has been saying a lot this month, that hope is not a strategy. I think what you said about Christian hope being a means of gaslighting ourselves is bang on. If you’re busy gaslighting yourself, you’re not making trouble for others by demanding and taking actions towards something better.
I often appreciate this writer's down-to-earth take on Christian hope and suffering. Sharing in case you would too: https://open.substack.com/pub/thecatholicfeminist/p/how-to-love-winter-when-its-11-degrees?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=9pe4h
I've been reading your blog or following your Instagram or SubStack for years. Wherever you've gone, I've followed. I love reading your stuff; it's so thoughtful, full of tangible joy, wisdom, or, most recently, pain. I'm much, much younger than you, the same age as your eldest children and, even though I have my own loving parents who are a source of guidance, your writing has been a valued source of vicarious life experience for me. Thank you!
Reading this piece, in which Christian hope plays a central role, one question comes to mind: beside hope for a better tomorrow, that things would become the case, did you ever have hope for eternal life, for salvation, for unity with the God that Catholics worship? Did you ever think that heaven would become the case for you?
The cornerstone of Christianity is that life is eternal and death does not mean the end. That definition of hope, that faith that better things will eventually become the case, must be applied to life as it is understood by Christians: that it won't end when you die. Christianity does not hold together if you do not hold this view.
One's life may very well be "shit" from day one til the day one dies. Absolutely hellish vision if you think that is all there is.
Two thoughts: 1) would Patreon work? I see a lot of creatives using Patreon for both monetized and free content. 2) I’m struck by what my business coach has been saying a lot this month, that hope is not a strategy. I think what you said about Christian hope being a means of gaslighting ourselves is bang on. If you’re busy gaslighting yourself, you’re not making trouble for others by demanding and taking actions towards something better.