Thursday, 30 January 2025

Hope An Anchor for the Soul 30 Daily Devotions - Amy Welborn

Hope: An Anchor for the Soul
30 Daily Devotions
ASIN B0DDMZMZN7

Hope An Anchor for the Soul 30 Daily Devotions - Amy Welborn

I picked up this volume for two reasons. The first it was by Amy Welborn and I have loved everything I have read from her masterful pen. And the second was it was a book for the Jubilee of Hope in 2025. It is an excellent little volume. 

The description of this volume is:

“In sync with the 2025 Jubilee Year, popular author Amy Welborn takes readers on a 30-day personal pilgrimage of hope. Each day’s devotional reflection is anchored by Scripture, prayerful reminders, encouragement and virtuous actions for grounding readers in Christian hope and equipping them to grow in hope and bring that hope to the world. Perfect for any time of year!”

I worked through the digital edition of the book, but the booklet would be great as well. The days are just numbered 1-30. There is no introduction or conclusion; just the 30 reflections or meditations. Each days starts with a quote from scripture, contains a written meditation and then a Reflect\Pray\Act section at the end. 

A sample day is:

Day 13

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance. Romans 8:24-25

One of my favorite saintly figures is Blessed Solanus Casey. Born in 1870 in Wisconsin, he died in 1957 as a Capuchin priest, but that end was not exactly what he’d hoped for early in his life.

Solanus Casey began studies for the diocesan priesthood but had a hard time with the German that was the vernacular of the seminary, and with the study of Latin, as well. He was accepted to the Capuchins, but he still struggled academically. Eventually, he was ordained as what was then called a simplex priest. He could celebrate Mass, but could not hear confessions or preach as his academic difficulties were taken to indicate a limited grasp of theology.

Solanus endured, though, and endured in hope. His simplex status meant he could not hear confessions or preach—not the future he envisioned for himself—but nor could he envision the future impact of the role he assumed for most of his ministry: the friary doorkeeper. In this capacity, he would greet the broken, the poor and those in material and spiritual need with prayer and consolation, sharing the love of God in ways he never could have foreseen.

Reflect: Think about ways God has turned your disappointments into good for you and for others.”

Another is:

Day 17

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13 (NRSV-CE)

Does putting our ultimate hope in God’s mercy and eternal life with him lead to inaction here on earth?

It’s a centuries-old criticism of Christians, isn’t it? Promising pie in the sky so the masses won’t complain about their lot. That’s the claim.

It’s not the reality, of course. Look at our saints! Every one of them were people of profound faith and, yes, had hope in eternal life above all. They were women, men and even children who prioritized their spiritual lives, put God first and looked to heaven amid their hardships—including martyrdom—but who, at the same time, managed to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, tend to the prisoner and educate the ignorant all over the world in a way that no other earthly institution has ever done.
Setting their hopes on the grace Jesus would bring did just what Peter says here—prepared their minds for action.

It’s a tension to be sure, though, and a challenge—to know when we should act and to know when trusting God means to sit back and stop meddling. We must discern when our promptings to act are from God or from our own egos and, actually, a sign not of hope and trust but perhaps the opposite.

Pray: Lord, may hope help me discern how best to do your will.”

And a third and final sample is:

Day 30

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Here I am, writing the last day of this devotional, and my son is still dealing with that injury. At least we know what it is now: a torn ACL that, yes, requires surgery. Plans for the next few months are still shot. No change there.

But one thing has changed: Hope has entered the picture, and not just the natural hope that he’ll heal. After all, what have I been writing about anyway?

As I’ve reflected about hope rather intensely during this time, I’ve been challenged. Do I believe what I’m writing? Do I really think that the ultimate purpose of my son’s life—to serve the Lord and dwell with him in eternity—has been derailed by this setback? Of course not. Do I believe that he—and even I—can find fruit in this that might even help him—and me—cooperate even more with the good work the Lord has begun in us?

If I can say yes to those questions, perhaps I might have learned a little bit myself. And perhaps it wasn’t chance that brought me to this work after all.

Act: Consider all the elements of your life—good and bad—in the context of the confident hope that God is at work in your life.”

I hope those three sample chapters give you a feel for this wonderful little volume. I highlighted a few passages my first time through this book. Some of them are:

“Like Mary, God gifts us with signs of hope unexpectedly. Like Mary, journeying from her own home and singing praise to God, we share that gift—pilgrims of hope, all.”

“In confusing moments, it’s helpful to remember who’s given me this gift of life. The One who knows me and loves me beyond what I can imagine. The One who doesn’t leave me on my own either. He gives me, among other gifts, this virtue of hope: the trust that the journey of this life is taking me to life with him. The hope that each day he’s present with me, guiding.”

“In the verse above, Joseph has revealed his identity to those brothers who fear his vengeance. He assures them of his forgiveness, but more than that, he reminds them that even though he did suffer, God was able to use it for good. That’s hope. It’s not optimism that things will “work out” or “get better”—but, that no matter what, God is present and can use whatever is happening for his glory and for good.”

“I’m not designing or building cathedrals—but then, maybe I am in a way. Every small gesture, every seemingly thankless task, all the fruit of my labors—if I perform them in a spirit of gratitude, praise and sharing—have meaning and contribute to the life of beauty and goodness God calls us to build on earth. To live that way? That’s building on hope. Act: Dedicate an ordinary daily”

“Why were these people so afraid? What in the world had Jesus done to make them so fearful to the point where they demanded that he leave their area? Quite simply this: He’d healed a man. It was the demoniac—the man possessed by demons so deeply and painfully that he lived shackled among the tombs. Already dead, as far as the world was concerned, Jesus freed him. Freed him from possession and freed him to dwell among the living once again. It’s so fascinating to me that the people of the town, who knew the man and his suffering, who saw Jesus transform his life, responded not with gratitude, not by approaching Jesus with their own pains, but in fear. “Leave us.” Why would anyone reject such a sign that even in seemingly impossible circumstances hope is, yes, possible? And not only possible but as close as the man walking on the road over there? The One as close as the inner reaches of our soul? Good questions.”

“Even more so with this theological, spiritual virtue of hope. What God has in store for us—our redemption, our reconciliation—indeed, the reconciliation of all of creation, which is what Paul’s talking about in this whole chapter of the letter—is totally beyond our comprehension, isn’t it?”

This is a wonderful volume. I can easily recommend it. I plan on rereading it again later this Jubilee year, but because the meditations are just numbered 1-30 it can be picked up and read anytime this Jubilee Year of Hope or even after it has passed. This is a great volume that will inspire and challenge. I encourage you to pick it up and give it a try!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan


Jubilee of Hope 2025 Book List:
Pocket Book of Hope: Words of Inspiration - Living with Christ
Faith is a Journey, Meditations for Pilgrims and Wayfarers - Pope Francis
A Light in the Night Meditations on Hope - Pope Francis
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Notes on Prayer Series:
1. Prayer Today: A Challenge to Overcome - Cardinal Angelo Comastri
2. Praying with the Psalms - Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi
3. The Prayer of Jesus – Juan Lopez Vergara
4. Praying with Saints and Sinners - Fr Paul Brendan Murray, OP
5. The Parables of Prayer – Msgr Antonio Pitta
6. The Church in Prayer - Carthusian Monks
7. The Prayer of Mary and the Saints Who Met Her - Sr Catherine Aubin, OP

Books by Amy Welborn:
Reconciled to God Daily Lenten Devotions
Wish You Were Here: Travels Through Loss and Hope
A Catholic Woman's Book of Days
de-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code
Loyola Kids Book of Saints
Loyola Kids Book of Heroes: Stories of Catholic Heroes and Saints throughout History
Here. Now. a Catholic Guide to the Good Life
The Words We Pray
Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries
Decoding Mary Magdalene: Truth, Legend, and Lies
Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI
Be Saints! An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI

Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion
Mary and the Christian Life: Scriptural Reflections on the First Disciple
Adventures in Assisi: On the Path with St. Francis: On the Path with St. Francis
Prepare Him Room: Advent Family Devotions
Daybreaks: Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter 
Parables: Stories of the Kingdom
The Absence of War
Relatable and Authentic, Transparent, So Real
All Will Be Well
Nothing Else Occurs To Me
A Reason for Everything
...

Prove It Series:
Prove It! God
Prove It! Church
Prove It! Jesus
Prove It! Prayer
Prove It! You
Prove It! The Catholic Teen Bible

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