The Collect for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter is:
“O God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, grant your people constancy in faith and hope, that we may never doubt the promises of which we have learned from you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”
Reflection
Before the first sin, we had eternal life, but the first sin brought death. By bringing our human nature through death and back to life, Christ has paved the way for all human beings to pass beyond death back to eternal life. Faith and Hope are not just feelings, but infused theological virtues. That means they are habits, and having them means we have the ability to believe and to hope. Without these graces, the promises of God would seem absurd and doubt would dominate us. Hence, the church asks for the constancy need to avoid that domination.
So, for your daily contribution to the Church’s collection of prayer,
Reflect on what “faith” and “hope” mean to you. Do you think of them primarily as something you have in the background or as something you actively practice? Pray for the grace to embrace them both as gifts and as daily habits so that you can overcome doubt and trial. Then spiritually unite that prayer to all the Masses throughout the world today. That way, when the priest says “Let us pray,” you can be a part of that “us” even if you don’t get to attend Mass.