The late Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan had a practice of asking others at the end of an evening of good conversation, “What gives you hope?” Asking this question allows us to move our focus from what’s wrong in our world to the many small and large ways the spirit of God is at work in our midst. In the final chapters of the book of Revelation John encourages his readers to pay attention to the everyday practices of following Christ: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.” (Rev. 22:14) It’s in our everyday spirituality, as we make peace in our households, neighborhoods, cities and in the world, we find ourselves citizens of the New Jerusalem, blessed with the presence of God in our midst.
