Know God, Know Hope
December 3, 2025
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name (Romans 15:4-9).
I find myself continually returning in prayer to last week’s Entrance Antiphon on the 1st Sunday of Advent. As I have prayed with it, it seems to be the Church’s way of setting the tone for these days of grace, as it is the very first thing “out of the Church’s mouth” to us as we begin these days of grace. The Antiphon comes from Psalm 25: “To you, I lift up my soul, O my God. In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame.”
What jumped out at me is the last line: “Let none who hope in You be put to shame.” That is, let none who hope in You, Lord God, be disappointed, embarrassed, let down.
This Psalm has led me to pray more intentionally on the theme of hope, which certainly seems fitting as we are about to conclude a Jubilee Year of Hope originally called for by Pope Francis. Except for a few passing references to it in our work, I sheepishly admit that I haven’t given the Jubilee anywhere near enough thought or prayer. As the conclusion of the special time approaches, however – December 28, except in Rome where it will take place on January 6 – the Holy Spirit is inviting me more and more to pray with the theme of hope.
This, in turn, has led me especially to pray with Ephesians 2:11-13. Paul writes, “Therefore, remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh…,were…separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus…”. Separated. Alienated. Strangers. Having no hope. Without God.
Here’s the simple and painful truth: those who do not know God have no hope, for there is no one to hope in apart from God. The Detroit Lions? How’s that working out? Politics? Really? The idea that humanity is steadily getting wiser and more loving? Come on, just study history. People who put their hope in these things are merely optimistic or wishfully thinking.
“But now…!” Paul says. Those who once didn’t know Him in Ephesus, or Rome in the case of the 2nd Reading this week, have come to know Him. They have come to know that because God is solid, firm, reliable, steadfast, trustworthy, sure, and certain, their hope in Him is solid, firm, reliable, steadfast, trustworthy, sure and certain. Those who hope in God will not be embarrassed the way sports fans or political junkies are constantly embarrassed by a dismal defeat or a poor showing at the polls. Paul tells us in the excerpt from Romans above that the Scriptures have been written to record for you and me the gracious, merciful, powerful and loving deeds of God, and thus they give us hope. God is not only real, He acts. He not only acts, but He acts with loving faithfulness.
Advent is a time to prepare ourselves to celebrate the single most important event in the history of the universe: God becoming man to rescue His good creation from cosmic powers we could never defeat on our own and thus reconcile us to Himself and one another. It’s also a time to prepare ourselves for the very real day when this God-man will return as triumphant King to definitively make all things new.
As we continue in these days, then, perhaps we can take an inventory of our hearts. Do we have hope? Do we really know God, or do we only know about Him? If we do have hope, can others tell? This is increasingly important in these days of rampant anxiety, depression and fear. You and I, as disciples of Jesus, are tasked with the responsibility of showing our anxious peers who God is and to invite those who do not yet know Him to know Him and to enter into His family, the Church. Let us ask St. Paul, and Mary, the one who knows that God is worthy of our hope like no other human person, to pray for us that we will grow in this all-important virtue and that we will ever more credibly make Him known to others in our lives this week.
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
December 2025
For our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the Father would clothe him with courage and ardent charity, so that his shepherding may boldly lead the Church to the renewal and rescue God desires for His family in these days.
That as we close out the jubilee year of hope late this month, each of us will be ever more filled with this supernatural virtue, and be even more intentional about showing an anxious and watching world who God is and invite them into his family.
For our mission in the Diocese of Beaumont, TX, that our time with the presbyterate would be marked by the power of the Gospel, becoming an occasion of rescue, deep renewal, and lasting transformation for them and the people they shepherd.
For those who will join us from across the country for a Leadership Immersive, that the Father would rekindle in us His vision for the Church, restore our identity as His sons and daughters, and send us back into the world to continue His work of recreation.
For all prayer, planning, and preparation for The Jesus Conference: Mobilizing the Church for the World He Loves, that the Holy Spirit would lead, direct, and inspire every decision, so that this gathering becomes a catalyst for the rescue, renewal and transformation of the human family.
For Fr. John Riccardo, the ACTS XXIX missionaries, and our families, that this Advent and Christmas would overwhelm us anew with wonder at the rescue God has accomplished in Jesus, and that we may become radiant witnesses of hope to a weary and crying world.
For our Episcopal Advisory Council, Board of Directors, and faithful partners in mission, that this holy season would be for them a fresh encounter with Jesus the Rescuer - healing, strengthening, and anointing them for the bold mission entrusted to us in these glorious days.
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