By Fr Fernando Azpiroz, Director of Casa Ricci Foundation, Macau
The Chinese character for the word “hope” is 望 (Wang), which also means to “look”. Ancient inscriptions of this character show a person standing firmly on the ground, but at the same time looking at the moon, which symbolises an auspicious moment, something that is beyond us but which is somehow already present in our reality.
Like in the Chinese character, in our Christian faith hope is that power that makes us wait with confidence for something that is beyond us, but also pushes us forward towards what we are waiting for.
This was Jesus’s experience when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He had to walk through suffering, rejection and death in order to defeat death and gain Eternal Life for us.
This kind of hope has deeply influenced and penetrated everything we do in Casa Ricci. In our service in China, most of the time we walk together with people who are going through deep suffering: those suffering from leprosy or HIV-AIDS; those who are dying, sick and alone in hospitals; families which cannot send their children to study due to poverty caused by sickness, etc.
While walking together through these difficult moments, we help them raise their eyes to see that there is something beyond their pain and suffering: A new beginning and understanding of their lives.
They help us look through them and their struggle, the power of the Crucified Lord who assumed in Him all suffering and death to transform them into Eternal Life through His Resurrection.
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