Summary: The author explores how Flannery O’Connor’s works relate to the themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. O’Connor’s writing, often filled with darkness, ultimately points to a deep spirituality and a longing for God. The essay emphasizes that true hope is based on faith and the belief in a brighter future, even amidst despair.
The same thing can be said of life itself: venture below the surface and you discover the Source of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. (View Highlight)
Hope oughtn’t to be confused, as it often is, with naive optimism or wishful thinking, neither of which is grounded on much of anything other than self-centered desire. Instead, Advent hope is built on faith that God exists, that God’s promises of redemption and fulfillment are trustworthy, and that consequently the future, howsoever bleak the present may seem, will be a blessing. (View Highlight)
The opposite of hopeful longing is despair, the bleak conviction that there’s no ground for trust or faith and that consequently the future is to be dreaded rather than longed for. (View Highlight)