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Loving God, you fill all things with a fullness and hope that we can never comprehend. Thank you for leading us into a time where more of reality is being unveiled for us all to see. We pray that you will take away our natural temptation for cynicism, denial, fear and despair. Help us have the courage to awaken to greater truth, greater humility, and greater care for one another. May we place our hope in what matters and what lasts, trusting in your eternal presence and love. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our suffering world. Please add your own intentions . . . Knowing, good God, you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God. Amen

Fr. Richard Rohr

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"Look well to the growing edge! All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born. The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently at work in the darkness of the earth against a time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms, green fruit.  Such is the growing edge! It is the extra breath from the exhausted lung, the one more thing to try when all else has failed, the upward reach of life when weariness closes in upon all endeavor. This is the basis of hope in moments of despair, the incentive to carry on when times are out of joint and people have lost their reason, the source of confidence when worlds crash and dreams whiten into ash. Look well to the growing edge!"

-Howard Thurman, civil rights leader, theologian, educator, philosopher,

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I think probably my very favorite individual tree has to be Beech, in my garden. And when Beech began to grow — over 100 years ago, actually — it was from a pretty tiny seed. And if I had picked it up at that time, it would’ve seemed so small and weak, a little growing shoot and a few little roots. And yet, there is what I call magic. It’s a life force in that little seed so powerful that to reach the water that the tree will need, those little roots can work through rocks and eventually push them aside. And that little shoot, to reach the sunlight which the tree will need for photosynthesis, can work its way through cracks in a brick wall and eventually knock it down. And so we see the bricks and the walls as all the problems, social and environmental, that we have inflicted on the planet.

So it’s a message of hope — hundreds and thousands of young people around the world can break through and can make this a better world. And we’ve got members in kindergarten, university, and everything in between. And it’s my greatest reason for hope, because everywhere I go, these young people are telling me, showing me, shining eyes, what they’re doing and what they’ve been doing, what they plan to do, to make the world better.

Reflections from Jane Goodall

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Brother David Steindal-Rast - STOP. LOOK. GO>

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Brother David Steindal-Rast - STOP. LOOK. GO>

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Stop, Look, Go

“Well, for me, this idea of listening and really looking and beholding, that comes in when people ask, “Well, how shall we practice this gratefulness?” And there is a very simple kind of methodology to it: Stop, look, go. Most of us, caught up in schedules and deadlines and rushing around, and so the first thing is that we have to stop, because otherwise we are not really coming into this present moment at all, and we can’t even appreciate the opportunity that is given to us, because we rush by, and it rushes by. So stopping is the first thing.

But that doesn’t have to be long. When you are in practice, a split second is enough — “stop.” And then you look: what is now the opportunity of this given moment, only this moment, and the unique opportunity this moment gives? And that is where this beholding comes in. And if we really see what the opportunity is, we must, of course, not stop there, but we must do something with it: Go. Avail yourself of that opportunity. And if you do that, if you try practicing that at this moment, tonight, we will already be happier people, because it has an immediate feedback of joy.

I always say — I don’t speak of the “gift,” because not for everything that’s given to you can you really be grateful. You can’t be grateful for war, in a given situation, or violence or domestic violence or sickness, things like that. There are many things for which you cannot be grateful. But in every moment, you can be grateful — for instance, the opportunity to learn something from a very difficult experience — what to grow by it, or even to protest, to stand up and take a stand.

That is a wonderful gift, in a situation in which things are not the way they ought to be. So opportunity is really the key when people ask, “Can you be grateful for everything?” — no, not for everything, but in every moment.”

Brother David Steindl-Rast

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"I hope I get an 'A' on this test!" How many times have teachers heard these exact words from their students? Goodness knows, most teachers would certainly love for their students to get an A, too!

Well, for teachers eager to help their students get more A's, research suggests they should help their students get more hope.

Though it may seem like a simple, wishy-washy emotion, research suggests cultivating hope is actually a complicated process-but there are significant rewards for those who make the effort.

Researchers have found that students who are high in hope have greater academic success, stronger friendships, and demonstrate more creativity and better problem-solving. They also have lower levels of depression and anxiety and are less likely to drop out from school.

But does this mean hope causes these benefits-or couldn't success in school and in making friends just give students more hope? In fact, studies suggest that having hope may actually predict a student's future academic achievement more than having feelings of self-worth or a positive attitude towards life actually do.

So how do teachers know which students are high in hope? Easy: They are the students who don't take failure personally. Instead, they use it to improve their performance next time. They're also more optimistic, and, in the face of obstacles, they tell themselves, "I can do this. I won't give up."

Thankfully, scientists have found that the majority of students in the United States are very hopeful. But what about those who aren't? Oftentimes, students lose hope as a result of their family circumstances. For example, one study found that students who had witnessed violence against a family member or friend were less hopeful.

The good news is that hope can be cultivated, even among students who are at risk for losing it. But first we have to understand what scientists mean when they talk about hope.

Hope doesn't mean wishful thinking-as in "I hope I win the lottery." Instead, a person who is high in hope knows how to do the following things.

Set clear and attainable goals.

Develop multiple strategies to reach those goals.

Stay motivated to use the strategies to attain the goals, even when the going gets tough.

For educators who want to help their students build these skills of hope, here are five research-based guidelines.

1) Identify and prioritize their top goals, from macro to micro. Start by having students create a "big picture" list of what's important to them-such as their academics, friends, family, sports, or career-and then have them reflect on which areas are most important to them and how satisfied they are with each. Keep in mind that the goals must be what the students want, not what their parents or schools want. Otherwise, as studies suggest, they will quickly lose their interest and/or motivation, especially as they come up against obstacles.

Next, using this list, teach students how to create goals that are both specific and take a positive, solutions-oriented approach. Their goals need to focus on accomplishing something in the future rather than avoiding something now-for instance, "I want to play on the basketball team" is a more effective, motivating goal than "I will stop drinking soda."

Finally, students should rank their goals in order of importance. Researchers have found that this is particularly vital for students with little hope, as they often attempt any goal that comes to mind, which distracts their focus and energy from the goals that can have the greatest impact on their overall well-being.

2) Breakdown the goals-especially long-term ones-into steps. Research has suggested that students with low hope frequently think goals have to be accomplished all-at-once, possibly because they haven't had the parental guidance on how to achieve goals in steps. Teaching them how to see their goals as a series of steps will also give students reasons to celebrate their successes along the way-a great way to keep motivation high!

3) Teach students that there's more than one way to reach a goal. Studies show that one of the greatest challenges for students with low hope is their inability to move past obstacles. They often lack key problem-solving skills, causing them to abandon the quest for their goals.

So teaching them to visualize different paths to their goals will help them get beyond insurmountable barriers. Perhaps most importantly, teachers need to make sure that students don't equate those barriers with a lack of talent; instead, they need to be reminded that everyone faces obstacles. Success usually requires creative ways to overcome these obstacles, not avoiding them altogether.

4) Tell stories of success. Scientists have found that hopeful students draw on memories of other successes when they face an obstacle; however, students with low hope often don't have these kinds of memories. That's why it's vital for teachers to read books or share stories of other people-especially kids-who have overcome adversity to reach their goals.

5) Keep it light and positive. It's important to teach students to enjoy the process of attaining their goals, even to laugh at themselves when they face obstacles and make mistakes. Above all, no self-pity! Research has found that students who use positive self-talk, rather than beating themselves up for mistakes, are more likely to reach their goals.

Helping our students cultivate hope might be one of the most important things we do for them. Not only will it help them get more A's in the short-run; it'll give them the confidence and creativity to reach their long-term goals in school and in life.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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According to research, hope is key to academic achievement--and it's a skill students can develop over time. Here's how.

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5 Strategies for Cultivating Hope This Year

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5 Strategies for Cultivating Hope This Year

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5 strategies for cultivating hope this year

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A year of social disconnections, deaths, job losses and political violence may lead some people to feel overwhelmed and sad. A psychologist suggests ways to find and sustain hope.

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While It Was Still Dark - Jan Richardson

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While It Was Still Dark - Jan Richardson

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Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.

—John 20:1

While it was still dark.

While it was still night.

While she could not see.

While she thought death held sway.

While she grieved.

While she wept.

While it was still dark, resurrection began.

Jan Richardson

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Let This Darkness Be A Bell Tower - Rilke

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Let This Darkness Be A Bell Tower - Rilke

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Let this darkness be a Bell Tower

Quiet friend who has come so far,

feel how your breathing makes more space around you.

Let this darkness be a bell tower

and you the bell. As you ring,

what batters you becomes your strength.

Move back and forth into the change.

What is it like, such intensity of pain?

If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.

In this uncontainable night,

be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,

the meaning discovered there.

And if the world shall cease to hear you,

say to the silent earth: I flow.

To the rushing water, speak: I am.

Rainer Maria Rilke

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in This Place (An American Lyric)

By Amanda Gorman

Hope—

we must bestow it

like a wick in the poet

so it can grow, lit,

bringing with it

stories to rewrite—

the story of a Texas city depleted but not defeated

a history written that need not be repeated

a nation composed but not yet completed.

There’s a poem in this place—

a poem in America

a poet in every American

who rewrites this nation, who tells

a story worthy of being told on this minnow of an earth

to breathe hope into a palimpsest of time—

a poet in every American

who sees that our poem penned

doesn’t mean our poem’s end.

There’s a place where this poem dwells—

it is here, it is now, in the yellow song of dawn’s bell

where we write an American lyric

we are just beginning to tell.

-Amanda Gorman

Excerpt from in This Place (An American Lyric)

An original poem written for the inaugural reading of Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith at the Library of Congress.