Hope in Adversity - Vima Dasan SJ - CTS Devotions

Hope in Adversity

CTS Devotions
Vima Dasan SJ
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860821486

CTS Booklet D656

Over the last few years I have read over 330 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. I stumbled upon them while doing research on an author, and have been hooked ever since. I have read many in the CTS Biographies and also Saints of the Isles Series, and I loved the books in the CTS Great Saints Series. I love reading about so many saints, their lives and their times. My other favourite books form the CTS are the Prayers and Devotions books. The edition of this book I tracked down was from 2002. The description of this booklet is:

 

“This book gives guidance and encouragement to those going through a period of suffering. It offers the Word of God from Scripture as a divine source of inspiration, light and hope, together with writings from popular spiritual masters, and thoughtful reflections. It reflects on Faith, Patience, Prayer, Trust, Obedience and Hope in adversity. This little book of comfort counsels us not to fear, but to make a companion of wisdom, to pray confidently to the loving Father, to trust in God's will in the everyday things, and to live with courageous hope.”

The chapters and sections in this book are:

Faith in Adversity 

     We believe in the blessings of trial 

     We believe God is in every tomorrow 

     We believe:: God is in our defeats 

     We believe holy audacity is better than human timidity 

     We believe even when we do not feel 

     We believe the cross God sends  the best for us 

     We believe because we are certain 

Patience in Adversity 

     Patience is power 

     Patience is a training ground 

     Patience with physical illness 

     Patience with calumnies 

     Patience with old age 

     Patience with all human limitations 

     Patience with God's delays 

     Patience with God's absence 

     Patience is not passivity 

Prayer in Adversity 

     Prayer is a remedy 

     Prayer is rest 

     Prayer is to look into heaven 

     Prayer of faith 

     Prayer of petition 

     Prayer of complaint 

     Prayer at dawn 

     Prayer in waiting 

     Praying always 

Trust in Adversity 

     Trusting is the language or the heart 

     Trusting when warned about tomorrow 

     Trusting when confused 

     Trusting when faced with obstacles 

     Trusting when losing a beloved 

     Trusting when God hides his face 

     Trusting when spiritually drained 

Obedience in Adversity 

     Obedience is surrender of self 

     Obedience though disappointed 

     Obedience though tempted 

     Obedience gives up ‘the less’ for ‘the greater’ 

     Obedience offers the softest pillow 

     How do we know God's will? 

Hope in Adversity 

     Hope in divine providence 

     Hope in the second chance 

     Hope in inner springs 

     Hope in moral lapses 

     Hope in all trials 

     Hope is creative 

     Hope makes life worth living 

Acknowledgments 

The introduction of this volume states:

“The Life of each one of us is to a greater or lesser extent touched by adversity. We arc from time to time faced with difficulties, worries, and problem, however great or small.

The Christian disciple is ever engaged in learning to be like the Master - Jesus. We are being schooled in the virtues of faith, patience, prayer, trust, obedience and above all hope.

This little booklet was written to be dipped in to as often as adversity appears – disappointment, confusion and suffering. There is a word of hope on every page, supported by scripture and the writings of many who have gone before us. Do keep this little book to hand.”

And I could easily see returning to it from time to time as need arises or as a refresher. In some ways this volume felt like it was a bit of a harder read. But maybe that was some of the adversity it speaks about. It was a little more work but it is well worth the effort. I highlighted numerous passages while reading this story, some of them are:

“As in a landscape, so in the life of us, there will be ‘hills and valleys’. We need both. if our life is all one dead level, it will be dull and it will oppress us with its sameness. It is the hills that collect the rain for fruitful valleys. So it is the hill of difficulties that drives us to the throne of God's grace and brings down showers of blessings.”

“So too, to become a giant instrument for God's service, the road a believer has to travel is not along the sunny lane with wild flowers of comforts but steep, rocky, and narrow pathway of hardships.”

“Faith must never be left to the mercy of feelings as ideals can’t be left to the mercy of the stomach.”

“To an artist, practice makes his art perfect. A ballerina once said, ‘If I omit practice one day, I notice it; if two clays, my friends notice it; if three clays, the public notice it.’ It is so with prayer. We have to continue believing and to continue praying.”

“An old man surprised everyone with his cheerfulness, since he seemed to have an unusual amount of troubles and relatively few pleasures. When asked the secret or his cheerfulness, he replied. “Well, you see, it is like this. The Bible says often, ‘And it came to pass,’ never, ‘It came to stay.’ It is true we can’t live on hope alone: however, we can’t live without it either.”

“Hope is not just longing, but an active working towards the betterment of oneself and the improvement of the world.”

“Hope generates an optimistic outlook. There are, thank God, many incorrigible optimists in the world who inspire us.”

“If we hope in God, we will not let anyone or anything control our attitude and block our horizon.”

I hope those few quotes will give you a feel for the volume. It was a very timely read. There is a lot of great material in this little booklet. I can easily recommend this volume. It is an excellent resource!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews of other books in the CTS Devotions series click here.

Books by Vima Dasan:

Hope in Adversity

His Word for Today: Daily Homilies for Weekdays (Years 1 and 2)

His Word Is Life: Daily Homilies for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter Seasons and Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials

His Word Comforts

Advent Light: Daily Reflections For The Advent Season

His Word Lives: Homilies For Sundays, Feast Days And Special Occasions, For Cycles A, B And C

Lenten Light: Daily Reflections For The Season Of Lent

Daily Spiritual Reflections

Ministry in Tears: International Priests' Missionary Life and Ministry

Wounded Deer Leaps Highest

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