In her marvelous book, “Hanging onto Hope,” author Melannie Svoboda points out that hope is a gift. “It is the gift God bestows on us so we may continuously seek God and grow in goodness, love, and happiness.” Hope opens our heart to take in the whole world as we seek to make it a better place for all.

“Hope is not simply a feeling,” Melannie points out: “it demands a response on our part. We choose to hope not because we are blind to the evils in the world, but because we have a vision that goes beyond the immediate or the readily visible.” It is the vision of the Reign of God.

As we prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day, let us ask the Creator to create a clean and holy heart in each one of us. A clean and hope filled heart.