A Pilgrim's Table: Hope as Anchor

Anyone see the meteor shower tonight? Sooooo beautiful. And looking up like that, it makes me feel so small again...lovingly guided, cared for...hopeful.

Hope, it truly is an anchor i think, a precious one. Came across a prayer in this vein that just cant help but share here. Its by Saint Claude de la Columbiere, and is based on Psalm 4. The prayer has been called "Act of Hope", and some excerpts (taken from here and here) are combined below:

"In peace I will sleep and I will rest for Thou hast wonderfully established me in hope.”

My God, I’m so persuaded that You watch over all who hope in You and nothing can be lacking to those who await from You all things, that I have determined to live from now on without any concern, letting go and giving You all of my anxieties. I will sleep and rest in peace because You, O Lord, and only You, have secured my hope.

Men can deprive me of possessions and reputation; illnesses can take away my strength and means to serve You; I myself can lose Your grace because of sin; but I will not lose my hope; I will conserve it until the last instant of my life and all the efforts from demons trying to take it away from me will be useless. I will sleep and rest in peace.

Others may look for happiness from their riches or their talents; they may rely upon the innocence of their lives, the rigour of their penance, the number of their good works, or the fervour of their prayers; but for me, O Lord, my confidence shall be my confidence itself. For Thou hast wonderfully established me in hope.

And boy does he go to the heart of simplicity too, through this Sacred Heart devotion:

It is a great illusion to want all you hear about and all you see in books, as well as to burden yourself with so many devotional practices. Read very few books and make a great study of Jesus Christ crucified.

And sure can't skip this qoute of his on silence:

During His Passion, Jesus found Himself in every circumstance in which it is most difficult to remain silent . . . He had every reason in the world to speak: He had His Father's glory to win, His doctrine to uphold, scandal to be avoided; He was going to lose all the fruit of His labors. The priests commanded Him, Pilate questioned Him: Jesus remained silent. He would not have sinned, He would have given very edifying replies, but His silence is worth a thousand times more .

Silence. Simplicity. Sacred Hearts. Hope. They just feel so deeply connected somehow....

(Image from Kay of He Gently Calls Us)