The season of Advent awakens the hope at the heart of humanity, a hope frequently obscured by the monotony and disappointment of daily life. We long for a better world: a world in which generosity triumphs over selfishness, a world in which integrity drives out corruption, in which peace safeguards heart and home. It is all too easy to dismiss such hopes as daydreaming, to resign ourselves to the world as it is.
St Paul addressed the disappointments that dampen Advent hope. He exalted the Old Testament figures who had refused to abandon hope in the face of disappointment, who had continued to hope that there could be a new beginning, a hope founded in God rather than the frailty of human endeavour.
