Rejoice in Hope

We rejoice in hope in troubled times by rooting urselves in the same spiritual posture the Church has urged at every threshold moment: gratitude for what God has already done and trust in what God has yet to reveal. That pairing—thanksgiving and hope—runs through papal teaching as 2026 approached, especially in the reflections gathered by Vatican News.

The heart of Christian hope

Christian hope is not optimism or denial. It is the theological virtue that anchors us in God’s fidelity. Pope Leo XIV, closing the Jubilee Year of Hope in December 2025, insisted that hope “does not finish” when a holy year ends; it continues because hope is generative, something that “gives life” and “generates” new possibilities even when circumstances look bleak.
This is the Church’s starting point: hope is not a mood but a participation in God’s own life.

St. Paul describes the inner mechanics of this hope: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint.” (Rom 5:3–5). Catholic writers today echo this same pattern: we do not rejoice in evil, but we rejoice that God can draw good from what wounds us, and that the Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts even in the midst of turmoil.

Living hope in the present moment

Pope Paul VI’s reminder that “only today exists” is strikingly relevant in a year like 2026, when global instability, cultural fragmentation, and ecclesial wounds can make the future feel like a “great unknown.” He urged believers to live the present moment “with reasonable intensity,” because the present is the only place where grace is actually received.
This is not escapism; it is a discipline. Hope is practiced in the now.

Three habits flow from this:

• Attentiveness to grace — noticing small mercies, unexpected kindness, and the quiet ways God sustains us.
• Responsibility for the moment — acting justly, loving concretely, and refusing cynicism.
• Surrender of outcomes — trusting that the future belongs to God, not to our anxieties.

Gratitude as the doorway to hope

Pope Benedict XVI insisted that the Church should never end a year—or a day—without thanking the Lord for His benefits. To forget gratitude, he warned, is to “live without meaning.”
Gratitude is not naïve positivity; it is a theological stance. It reminds us that God has acted before and will act again. Gratitude trains the heart to recognize God’s presence even when the world feels unstable.

This is why the Church sings the Te Deum at year’s end: not because everything is fine, but because God is faithful.

What rejoicing looks like in a year like 2026

A Catholic posture of hope in troubled times includes:

• Rejoicing in God’s nearness even when circumstances are harsh.
• Rejoicing in the endurance that trials produce, trusting that God is forming us.
• Rejoicing in the communion of the Church, a people who carry one another’s burdens.
• Rejoicing in mission, because hope is not passive; it sends us out as “pilgrims of hope,” as Pope Leo XIV put it.
• Rejoicing in the promise that history is held in God’s merciful hands, not in the hands of chaos.

This is not a call to ignore suffering. It is a call to interpret suffering through the lens of Christ’s Resurrection—where the worst thing is never the last thing.

post inspired by Being Catholic in Troubled Times (Dennis Ortman)

book description:

These are times that try our souls. This book is addressed to all, not just Catholics, who search for deeper meaning in tough times. Our age is marked by division and alienation. We long for some message that will bring peace to our world and our hearts.

This book suggests that the Catholic faith can provide strength in these troubled times. The word "catholic" means "all-embracing, universal." Nothing is excluded in the catholic mind. The truth that sets us free can be found everywhere, especially in unexpected places. It is often hidden in plain sight. In our darkest moments, we find new light and life. When we are most despairing, a ray of hope shines through.

Dr. Dennis Ortman is the author of Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous, Depression Anonymous, Being Catholic in Troubled Times, and Life, Liberty, and COVID-19.

For more posts by and about Dennis and his award-winning books, click HERE.

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