Newspapers. Television. Radio. Facebook. Twitter. Coffee shop conversation. Meetings.

Take part in any of the above and you will find it hard to escape bad news, dire speculation, predictions, pessimism and frustration.

And as a matter of full disclosure, our church meetings and even some homilies can sometimes contain a gloomy view of the world. The honest truth is that even our Gospel contains darkness and gloom.

In the reality of all that, a tendency toward optimism can certainly be hard to adopt.  Optimism is synonymous with hope, and it is meant to transcend the dark of our days.

But how do we get in a habit of hopefulness?

We can choose not to subject ourselves to any darkness. We can stop reading bad news. We can turn off the TV and radio and we can log out of social media. But sooner or later, someone will come to you and say, ... “Did you hear about ...” and more likely than not, you will be filled in on all the darkness and dissent that goes round the news cycle and among circles of family and friends.

And there are the challenges of everyday life that we can’t avoid and have to bear that can prevent us from being hopeful and optimistic. Challenges of illness, finance, employment, relationships and yes, even our faith can be heavy burdens that crush optimism and press down hope.

Right now our diocese has completed a strategic plan for its Catholic schools. Some of the data can paint a bleak picture on future enrollment and finance.

Diocesan Mass count numbers over the past ten years point to more darkness than light.

Statistics on young people in the church are very troubling and are not only affecting vocations to the priesthood and religious life but also to the sacrament of marriage.  

But even though all our data and all our lived reality can be shades of dark gray, that is precisely the reason for us  to adopt a disposition which looks on the favorable side of events, situations and of life in general. It requires us to look toward change. Why? Because comfort can’t be found in the dark. And we know change is difficult.

However, the light of optimism allows us to see through a lens of opportunity even though it also requires a great deal of effort in letting go, it leads us to lean into the light of hope.

We really don’t need to look any farther than the Lenten season we are in right now to get a lesson on the dividends that hope and optimism pay. We are asked to shed the darkness of sin because evil can’t live in the dark. We are asked to acknowledge that Christ is the light of the world and in doing, we are promised that we will never walk in darkness. The resurrection itself is the darkest day to recall.  But without it, we could never really realize Easter joy.

Optimism can help us see that the goals and strategies in the Faith Forward strategic plan will allow us to create a new foundation for the future through consultation, collaboration and creative thinking.

Optimism tells us that knowing our Mass counts can create an opportunity for us to look in our mirrors, in our homes and churches and to ask some hard questions... like, what can we do to make a difference?

A Synod of Bishops will take on the subject of Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment when they convene in 2018. And again, optimism tells us there is another opportunity to take the dark data and look beyond in order to see what is going on for young people around the world and perhaps shape a new vision and direction.

Some of the things young people in our diocese are experiencing are highlighted in this issue. Look at pages 1, 4 and 5. These are optimistic and goal oriented activities.

So to answer my own question, optimism is good for freeing ourselves from the weight of darkness and despair. It’s good for taking us forward. It might not be easy, but it says yes to God.