Is our hope in ourselves or is it in Christ? Dave “I’ll lift weights in your living room” VanVickle and I discuss the importance of the theological virtue of hope as we journey towards Christ and help others encounter him as well.
Snippet from the Show
We are pilgrims on earth and citizens of heaven, our ultimate hope is eternal life in Christ.
Shownotes
“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” –Romans 5:1-5
Practical Takeaways
- Read and pray with the Catechism’s definition of the virtue of hope. The teaching can be found in CCC 1817-1821.
- Pray a daily act of hope.
- Do an examination of conscience based on the virtue of hope.
- Read Spes Salvi (Saved in Hope), Benedict VXI, encyclical, 2007
- Say a special prayer to end the persecution of Christians in China.
- Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com
- Text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe and be added to Gomer and Dave’s email list!
- Visit Dave’s website at thesinnersguide.com
- Hebrews: The New and Eternal Covenant Study Program
- As parishes plan for the fall, Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings!
Meet Your Hosts

Michael “Gomer” Gormley
Michael has been leading evangelization and ministry efforts for the past ten years, both as a full-time parish staff member and as a speaker and consultant for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic campus ministries.
Mike is also the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, and the producer and cohost of a Catholic young adult podcast Catching Foxes, which discusses the collision of Faith and Culture.
He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon, and they have about 1,000 children and get about 3 hours of sleep a night, which is alright by him.

Dave VanVickle
Dave VanVickle fell in love with the Lord at the age of fourteen and has since dedicated his life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ.
He is a speaker and retreat leader who focuses on proclaiming the universal call to holiness, authentic Catholic spirituality, spiritual warfare and deliverance. Additionally, Dave has over ten years of experience assisting Priests with their ministries of exorcism and deliverance.
Dave resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Amber and their five children: Sam, Max, Judah, Josie and Louisa.