One of the three theological virtues granted us by the Holy Ghost is hope!
Taken from the wonderful book, Stars Will Still Shine by renowned children's author Cynthia Rylant. The book is basically a poem, which goes like this:
this new year...
the sky will still be there
the stars will still shine
birds will fly over us
church bells will chime
cows will have calves
kittens will sleep
flowers will bloom
(a promise they keep)
we shall have peaches
we shall have pie
we shall have ice cream
three scoops high
homes will be cozy
homes will be warm
we'll curl up together
when rain makes a storm
and in this new year
love will be strong
growing and growing
all the days long
there will be goodness
there will be grace
there will be light
in every dark place
the sky will still be there
the stars will still shine
birds will fly over us...
church bells will chime.
One of the beautiful messages to be gleaned from this book (and the illustrations, by Tiphanie Beeke, are amazing), in addition to love and reverence for the beauty of life itself, is a reassurance of God's continual care for us. The primary symbol used in the book for this continual care is the church (and its bells). Churches need to be places of constancy, refuge, and of God's unchanging presence in an uncertain world. The church bells represent God's voice, calling out to believers and unbelievers alike. He calls us all. We pray that St. Mary's Church bells will never be made silent.