October 25, 2024

What is your favorite story of the great gift of hope in your life?

The TV series “Ted Lasso” focuses on the story of an American who knows nothing about soccer moving to England to coach a city’s professional soccer team. As the team prepares for the last game of its season as a heavy underdog, Ted gathers the players together and says, “So I’ve been hearing this phrase y’all got over here that I ain’t too crazy about—‘It’s the hope that kills you.’ Y’all know that? I disagree, you know? I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief.”

Hope has always been one of the foundations of the Catholic Church, along with faith and love. And starting on Christmas Eve of this year and extending until Jan. 6, 2026, the Church will mark a Jubilee Year that has the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”

As we prepare to celebrate this Jubilee Year, The Criterion is inviting you, our readers, to share your stories of hope—how embracing hope has helped and guided you in the toughest moments of your life, how others have given you hope for your present and your future, how your faith in God has sustained you and uplifted you in hope during your life.

Send your responses and stories to John Shaughnessy by e-mail at jshaughnessy@archindy.org or by mail in care of The Criterion, 1400 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46202. Please include your parish and a daytime phone number where you can be reached. †

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