Hope requires a shift within, a renewed focus that begins in the heart.
Fr. Michael Ogweno, CP
Today’s short story of hope shares a powerful witness of hope born in grief. After losing his father in 1981 and his mother in 1994, Fr. Michael Ogweno, CP, describes how sorrow shook his faith, stirred anger toward God and even led him to consider leaving the priesthood.
Coming from deep poverty and carrying family burdens, he stepped away from formation convinced he might never return.
But in the quiet of that year, prayer and Scripture opened a new path. He felt God calling him back and discovered a steady truth: God does not change his mind. When God calls, God also provides what is needed to keep going.
Hope, he says, is not only a journey to a holy place. It is an inner pilgrimage, a shift of heart that renews focus and restores courage from within.
May this story meet anyone walking through loss, doubt or uncertainty and remind them that hope can begin again right where they are.
I have gone through a lot personally. I lost my father on June 20, 1981, and twelve years later, on January 14, 1994, I lost my mother. Those moments shook my faith. I even wanted to leave the priesthood. I became angry with God and asked, “Why are you treating me like this?”
We came from a very poor family. My father had nothing, my mother had nothing, and my two brothers—one older, one younger—were struggling. I wanted to go back home, and I even took a year away from formation with the intention of never returning.
But during that time away, I had many hours alone to reflect and pray. I felt God calling me back—to this congregation and to the priesthood. I often shut myself in because my mother was gone, my brothers were not around and I had very little. Yet through prayer and Scripture, something changed in me. I realized that God does not change his mind. If he calls you, he will also provide what you need to continue.
This is how I understand hope. Being a pilgrim of hope can involve physically traveling to Rome or another holy place, but more importantly it is an inner journey. Hope requires a shift within, a renewed focus that begins in the heart.
