Hope Always
Our Anchor in Life’s Storms
ISBN 9780819834638
eISBN 9780819834645
ASIN B0CH4CYY8Q
I picked this volume up several months before I got around to reading it. It was not specifically written for the Jubilee of Hope in 2025 but it was being marketed as a great volume on that theme. It is one of a number of volumes I planned to read this Jubilee year. It was a little more work to get through than some of the others I read, but it it is an excellent volume. I took it slower and read about a Chapter a day when I was reading it.
The description of the volume states:
“In Hope Always, Kris Frank, a popular Catholic speaker and youth minister, offers his down-to-earth and personal reflections on hope and how this crucial but often-misunderstood virtue can change our perspective on life’s difficulties. Sharing stories from his own life, along with Scripture passages and theological commentary solidly grounded in Church teaching, Frank teaches by example, demonstrating how the practice of hope can help any person, in any state of life, and in any situation.”
The description on the Pauline Books & Media Site has these lines at the beginning of the description:
“Of the three cardinal virtues of faith, hope, and charity, hope may be the hardest to define. A deceptively simple virtue, people often reduce hope to a mere optimism about the future, or they may see it as synonymous with trust in God.”
About the author we are informed:
“Kris Frank graduated from Franciscan University with a degree in catechetics and theology with a concentration in youth ministry. With over ten years of parish youth ministry experience, Kris and his family now live as missionaries serving the poor and inner-city youth with Vagabond Missions. Kris has been privileged to travel frequently to share the Gospel with teens and young adults at various parishes, camps, and conferences. Kris spends his free time with his beautiful wife, Grace, and their five children.”
The chapters in the volume are:
Foreword
One: Hope
Two: Hope for the Sinner
Three: Hope for the Discouraged
Four: Hope for the Doubters
Five: Hope for the Anxious
Six: Hope for the Weary
Seven: Hope for the Addict
Eight: Hope for the Suffering
Nine: Hope for the Grieving
Ten: Hope for Others
Eleven: Hope for Our Families
Twelve: Hope for the Church
Conclusion: Hope for the Future
Afterword
I highlight several passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“But, believe it or not, there’s something even more essential to human life than food, water, or oxygen—hope. We can’t live a moment without hope. Not one moment.”
“The human heart demands and longs for hope. We need hope to be fully alive and to live a life full of purpose, promise, peace, and joy. Sadly, however, many people live without this balm for the soul, which is so unfortunate because it doesn’t have to be that way.”
“We all long for this kind of hope, the hope that brings light and reminds us that God is who he says he is; the hope that confirms that our present struggle is not the end.”
“Hope is not a feel-good optimism that helps people get through tough times. Rather, hope is a theological virtue, a gift from God given to us in Baptism. When properly understood and lived, the virtue of hope can save our lives. It can anchor us both when life is calm and effortless and also when it feels difficult and impossible.”
“Living in Christian hope is not always easy, especially when the disruptions and distresses of life pile up, but it’s possible. And it’s worth it. In fact, it’s exactly what helps us to not only survive but to thrive.”
“The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) tells us, “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (1817).”
“The virtue gives us the supernatural strength to rely on Christ’s grace when our own strength fails. Hope is what prompted Saint Catherine of Siena to proclaim, “All the way to heaven, is heaven.” 2 Hope points our faith to eternal life and brings heaven, in some sense, into the present moment.”
“Too often we turn our focus away from the source of our hope—Jesus—and shift our gaze to earthly things. This shift may go unnoticed for a time. But when life takes a turn for the worse, a lack of hope can cripple us, which is why it’s so important to actively ask God for the grace to grow in hope every day.”
“Life’s great sufferings put other sufferings in perspective. When we ask God for the grace to hope amid small sufferings, it prepares us to hope when we face more substantial sorrows. If we aren’t intentional and disciplined about living hope, however, the small and large issues can compound.”
“Thankfully, God gave us hope that anchors us to him. With hope as our anchor, nothing can shake us. Our God is trustworthy. He will never leave, abandon, or forget us in times of need.”
“Sin never gives life; it just takes it. Like a shiny, new lure, sin has a way of appearing appetizing to us. If it weren’t enticing, we would never fall for the trap. And that’s what makes avoiding sin so tricky; it’s a snare that humans have fallen for since the beginning of time.”
“Saint Thomas Aquinas called prayer “an expression of hope.” It’s an expression of hope because when we pray, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and care for us despite any anxiety. During stressful times, therefore, it helps to silently say a short prayer or a Scripture verse asking God to help us to trust in him.”
“God has promised to take care of us. And when God says something, it means he’s going to do it. Will we worry or worship? Will we panic or praise? Will we be led by our fears or by our faith? When life is unnerving, God will give us the grace to choose hope. Our anxieties won’t necessarily disappear, but in the midst of them, all we need do is turn our eyes to Christ. God will come through. It may not always be in the ways we want, know, or understand, but he is dependable, good, and never-changing.”
“Father of the Church and third-century martyr, Saint Cyprian of Carthage, has a forceful reply to these notions, “He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.” 7 The saint understood what many today have forgotten: the Church was founded by Christ to sustain and guide a community of believers. Knowing that we would not be able to live out the faith alone, God established the Church. Our relationship with God is meant to be cultivated through communal worship.”
“Being fully present and active in a local Church community is an essential aspect of being a part of the Church. As a member of your local parish, you can find community, accountability, catechetical programs, and Bible studies. But most importantly, in the Church we find the sacraments to assist in our spiritual growth.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. It was not always an easy read. Frank delves into some hard topics. He explores them in a clear manner, and with a thorough look at how our faith should inspire, motivate and strengthen us in some of those very tough situations. He also shares openly and in a very transparent way about his own struggles and failures. The volume is filled with stories from his own experiences or those he has ministered to and with.
This is an excellent volume, It is written geared towards young adults and even teens. It is great for any Catholic or any Christian. It is an excellent resource for this year of hope, but also for those who stumble upon it at any time in the future. I have recommended it to both my 14 and 17 year olds, but also recommended it to co-workers in their thirties and forties. And I myself being in my fifties greatly benefited from it and already play to read Kris’s forthcoming volume Embracing Hope in Christ, and will likely circle back and read this volume again.
An excellent volume I can easily recommend!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
Jubilee of Hope 2025 Book List:
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
8. The Prayer Jesus Taught Us: Our Father - Fr Ugo Vanni
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