A reménységért
My Hope Is in You
The soul declares its trust in God from the womb and asks for the anchor of true hope amid life's storms.
Merciful Lord of heaven and earth, my hope is in you; do not let me be put to shame.✦ I trust in you, because I was cast under your providence even in my mother's womb.✦1 Lord, you are merciful to those who trust in you, and you do not abandon those who put their hope in you: strengthen my heart with the strong anchor of true hope, so that amid the warfare and storms of this world I may always steadfastly trust in you, and so that the comfort of your holy word may encourage me in all my afflictions.✦2
The Folly of Human Trust
Citing the fathers' example and the curse on fleshly confidence, the prayer contrasts trust in God with the perishable hope of human strength.
Our fathers trusted in you, and you delivered them from every danger: they trusted in you, and they were not put to shame.✦ It is better to trust in you than in the sons of men and in princes, who cannot save.✦ Cursed is the one who trusts in flesh and places his confidence in human strength: his hope is like a spider's web; it easily perishes.✦✦3
Ground of Confidence
Despite human frailty and sin, the soul finds courage in Christ's wounds, God's unfailing remembrance, and the Good Shepherd's mercy, and asks for steadfast hope.
So although, Lord, when we look at our frailty we rightly tremble, still your infinite goodness and mercy, which surpass our wickedness, give us courage. The precious wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ and the shedding of his holy blood are the ground of our confidence: these are our treasure, our hope, our confidence, and our invincible refuge.4 Why would I not trust in you, Lord, who for my sake were crucified on the cross? My protection, my hope, who have written me on your holy hand, so that even if a mother forgets her only child, you would never forget me. Although my sins make me tremble, still your abundant redemption reassures me. For you are that infinite Good whose dearest works are mercy; and you withhold compassion only from the one who will not receive your gifts. So if you did not despise me when I deliberately tore myself away from you, but like a lost sheep carefully sought me and took me on your shoulder, then I know you will not despise me now either, when, stirred by your gift, I humbly seek your holy Majesty. Give me, Lord, steadfast hope, that in all my troubles and in all my sickness I may trust in you—in you, my merciful Father.
Concluding Doxology
The prayer is offered through Christ and sealed with Amen.
Through your holy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Read the original Hungarian
Mennynek és földnek kegyelmes Ura, tebenned vagyon reménységem, meg ne szégyenüljek. Tebenned bízom, mert te gondviselésed alá vettettem, még anyám méhében. Uram, irgalmas vagy a tebenned bízókhoz, és el nem hagyod, akik benned vetik reménységeket: erősítsed szívemet az igaz reménységnek erős vasmacskájával, hogy evilági háború, szélvész között mindenkor állhatatosan bízzam benned, és a te szent igéd vigasztalása minden nyavalyáimban biztasson engem.
Tebenned bíztak a mi atyáink, és megszabadítottad őket minden veszedelemtől: tebenned bíztak, és meg nem szégyenültek. Jobb tebenned bízni, hogysem az emberek fiaiban és fejedelmekben, kik meg nem szabadíthatnak. Átkozott, aki testben bízik, és emberi erőben veti bizodalmát: ennek reménysége, mint a pókháló; künnyen elvész.
Noha azért, Uram, mikor gyarlóságunkat megtekintjük, méltán rettegünk; de a te véghetetlen jóvoltod és irgalmasságod, mely fellyülhaladja a mi gonoszságinkat, bátorít minket. A mi Urunk, Jézus Krisztusnak drága sebei és szent vére hullása oka a mi bátorságunknak: ezek a mi kincsünk, reménységünk, bátorságunk, és győzhetetlen hajlékunk. Ugyanis miért nem bíznám tebenned, Uram, ki énérettem a keresztfán megfeszíttettél? Oh én oltalmam, oh én reménységem, ki a te szent kezedre írtál engem, hogy ha az anya elfeledkezik is egyetlenegyérűl, soha te el ne feledkezzél rólam. Noha azért az én bűneim rettegtetnek, de a te bővséges váltságod biztat. Mert te vagy ama véghetetlen jó, kinek legkedvesb cselekedeti az irgalmasság; és csak azon nem könyörülsz, aki venni nem akarja ajándékidat. Ha azért engem meg nem utáltál, mikor tőled szántszándékkal elszakadtam, hanem mint eltévelyedett juhot, szorgalmatosan kerestél és válladra vettél: most sem utálsz meg, tudom, mikor a te ajándékodból felindíttatván, alázatosan keresem szent felségedet. Adj, Uram, állhatatos reménységet nékem, hogy minden nyavalyáimban, minden betegségimben benned bízzam; irgalmas Atyámban.
Szent fiad által, a mi Urunk, Jézus Krisztus által. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.25.2 — My God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame. Let not my enemies exult over me.
- ↩Ps.22.10 — For you are the one who drew me from the womb, who made me trust at my mother's breast.
- ↩Heb.6.19 — This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into the inner place behind the veil.
- ↩Ps.22.4-Ps.22.5 — But you are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel. Ps.22.5 — In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
- ↩Ps.118.8-Ps.118.9;Ps.147.3 — It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Ps.118.9 — It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in nobles. Ps.147.3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
- ↩Jer.17.5 — Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
- ↩Job.8.14 — Whose confidence is a spider's web, and whose trust is a spider's house.
Notes
- 1 ↩Older Hungarian 'te gondviselésed alá vettettem' is rendered as being cast under God's providence; it preserves the biblical 'cast upon' image rather than a looser 'entrusted to your care'.
- 2 ↩'vasmacska' is the older Hungarian word for a ship's anchor (literally 'iron cat'); rendered as 'anchor' for the hope image.
- 3 ↩testben rendered as 'flesh' (theological sense of mere human/carnal reliance), not the physical body alone; matches the Jeremiah-type contrast with trust in God.
- 4 ↩bátorság here is assurance/confidence (fiducia), not mere bravery; rendered as confidence to match the hope-and-trust register of the chapter.
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