If we cling to our idea of hope in the future, we might not notice the peace and joy that are available in the present moment. The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. –Thich Nhat Hanh

Hope invites us to sit with a seeming contradiction:
to look to the future while being active in the present.
The most hopeful people I know
don’t just sit and wait for a brighter future;
they work for it, pray for it, yearn for it, cultivate it.

If we focus only on a finished product in the future,
we risk losing sight of the raw materials all around us.

If we focus only on the future,
we take the present moment,
with its boundless opportunities,
for granted.
And while the future holds great promise,
the present is a gift from God as well.

And so, this Advent,
as we wait and hope and meditate
on the arrival of Christ in Bethlehem
all those centuries ago,
we also look to our present moment.

Where can we show gratitude now?

Where can we exercise love now?

Where can we make change now?

For real hope, true hope, doesn’t call us to live in a far-off future;
it invites us to live and work and serve in the here and now.

As we light the first candle of the Advent season,
let hope guide us and strengthen us,
not only for the future,
but here in this sacred present moment.

The Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in January of 2022, so to celebrate his life and teaching, each post this Advent is guided by a quote from Nhat Hanh’s Living Buddha, Living Christ.