# An Act of Hope
*2008-12-03*

> Bill Young reflects on Rev. James Field’s meditation “An Act of Hope,” linking the historic courage of Rosa Parks to everyday injustices we can address today.

## Opening Prayer

I begin with a Christmas prayer my aunt’s sister, Mary Teresa, gave me many years ago: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, hail and blessed be the hour in which the Son of God was born of the most pure virgin at midnight in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, O my God, hear my prayers, grant my desires through the merits of our Savior Jesus Christ and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.”

## The Historic Act of Hope

This week marks the anniversary of a famous act of hope: the moment Rosa Parks, a tired African‑American housemaid, refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. She was arrested for sitting in the “white” section of a crowded bus. Her quiet, steadfast resistance inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal step toward civil‑rights justice in the United States. The event was not accidental; Rosa had long prayed for change and held hope that justice would one day prevail.

## Scriptural Reflection

Today’s reading from Isaiah envisions a desolate landscape transformed into a fruitful orchard. In Advent we are invited to name the places of weariness in our world and to act for renewal.

## Applying Hope Today

Yesterday we considered the deep needs of the human family. Today we turn to injustices that are close to home—elderly people struggling with the cost of heating, gas, or prescription medication, for example. What injustice moves your heart today? Let us pray for the courage to respond.

## Prayer for Justice

Open the gates of justice to me, loving God. Help me give hope to those in need—within my family, my neighborhood, my parish, and my city.

*Hope becomes action when we recognize injustice and pray for the courage to respond.*