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Good morning. As I listen to the news at the moment, I'm reminded of the words of WB Yeats which point to a world falling apart, in which “the centre cannot hold”. Yeats wrote that in 1919 in his poem The Second Coming – a poem that to me seems just as relevant today. Political values and systems are shifting, causing deep divisions among nations, communities and families. I feel confused; with a sense of foreboding. I'm struggling to share the optimism of those who tell us that it will all be alright. Many people are concerned that it’s not alright at all, and that things are likely to get worse before they get better. Yet over the past few months, I’ve noticed how often the word “hope” appears in books and articles, in lectures and conversations. People talk of the zeitgeist – the spirit of an age. It would be understandable to many if the current zeitgeist was despair, but why might it be hope? Hope is not optimism. Earlier this year, Pope Francis addressed survivors of Italy’s recent earthquakes. He spoke of the great pain and wounds of their hearts, and he contrasted optimism with hope. Rebuilding the heart, he said, is not the rosy idea that tomorrow will be better, it isn’t optimism. Rather, what is needed above all is hope. Whereas human optimism may fail, Christian hope does not disappoint, said Pope Francis. The implication is that sooner or later, optimism always fails. Last year, my elderly mother and stepfather died within a few months of each other, exhausted and depleted by life, and a dear friend also died after much suffering. It’s hope not optimism that I feel, as I grieve for them all. Hope enables us to move from a present engulfed in darkness to a future shrouded in mystery. This is beautifully expressed in words discovered on the wall of a concentration camp: ‘I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I cannot feel it. I believe in God even when he is silent.’ Optimism can become a form of escapism. It can prevent us from living fully in the here and now, because we’re fantasising about a better tomorrow. Hope roots us in the present with all its complex struggles and challenges, and for Christians it holds open the door to eternity. Hope is stronger even than death, and it rises again and again from the ashes of history.