253 cannot reach by ourselves, relying on our resources alone. In this way, a conviction is being born, which made St. Paul write to the Romans: “Hope does not disappoint” (5:5). Someone who allows himself to be drawn by this kind of hope is already sharing in some way in the goods that await him. It is possible to say that hope is a prelude to possessing what seems to be an opportunity. I believe that Divine Providence sends us these words in the context of our General Convention to help in our work and in our refl ections, which we are going to face in the next few days. Thus far, we have been looking at our reality, noticing the various problems that we have had to deal with. The religious life—from a wide perspective as well as within our Congregation— is now undergoing a time of diffi culties and crisis. We struggle with a shortage of material goods and decreasing vocations in many places. We struggle with diffi culties in passing our spirituality and identity to the new generations. There is individualism that frequently impedes the realization of communal projects. These facts, and many others, seem to us diffi cult and even impossible to solve in human terms. All of this could steer us into discouragement, even into fear of the future. However, if we take a look at it from God’s perspective, thinking along these lines becomes totally unacceptable. Because the same Lord who acted in the past, demonstrating His might in the times of the Prophet Isaiah, the same Lord, who restored the eyesight of the blind men in the times of Jesus, is still working in our present times. In our case, hope has its roots in the witness which is also given by our past. The Congregation was founded by Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński in very diffi cult times. It lived through times in which death seemed imminent, but it was revived and experienced a new growth thanks to the grace of God that inspired Blessed George; and now we are about to begin the celebrations of the Centennial Jubilee of its Renewal. These signs and many others allow us to see God’s actions manifested in our past and continuing to give us hope that the same Lord God will be still working in our times. The Word of God invites us to renew our hope that our Congregation shall overcome diffi culties, with which it struggles today, if such is the will of God, and that we will carry on the mission to which we were called by Divine Providence. Thus I believe that the voice of God, directed to each one of us, members of this General Convention, invites us to let Advent hope enter into our hearts and it will undoubtedly produce fruits in our refl ections and decisions made during this meeting.
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