The Book of Elect is signed during the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion held at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro on Feb. 17, 2024. These celebrations are a step in the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process as people prepare to enter the Catholic Church. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Pilgrims of Hope: He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
Editor’s note: In celebration of the Jubilee of Hope, The Western Kentucky Catholic has launched Pilgrims of Hope, a yearlong blog series inspired by Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025: “My thoughts turn to all those pilgrims of hope who will travel to Rome in order to experience the Holy Year and to all those others who, though unable to visit the City of the Apostles Peter and Paul, will celebrate it in their local Churches.” Blog reflections will be written by individuals from across the Diocese of Owensboro, sharing their unique perspectives on the virtue of hope in a world that so greatly needs it.
BY ZACH AULT
There are times in my prayer life when I feel nothing. I sit in silence, waiting, but there is no sense of God’s presence, no warmth or consolation – only emptiness. Those seasons of dryness can be discouraging, and I sometimes wonder if my words are even reaching Him. In those moments, one of my most frequent prayers comes to my lips: “Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24), a prayer I first began praying some 20 or so years ago when I started my journey into the Catholic Church. It is a humble plea that my faith and hope would not falter, even when I cannot feel God’s closeness. Somehow, even in the silence, hope remains.
My hope also thrives because I remember all the times God has come through on His promises in my life. I recall moments when I expected failure, when I stumbled or mis-stepped, and yet God never let me fall too far. Even in situations that seemed lost, He brought good out of what I might have thought were failings. Remembering His faithfulness allows me to hold onto hope and relax into His arms, trusting that He has control over the things I cannot manage and the areas where I may fail. It is this lived experience of God’s fidelity that sustains me, especially when prayer feels dry or life feels uncertain and pressure starts building.
One of the places where I experience hope most vividly is in my work with those preparing to enter the Catholic Church. For more than a decade, I have walked alongside people of every background: lifelong Christians, spiritual seekers, and those who have carried wounds or have distanced themselves from faith. What unites them is a remarkable perseverance in hope – hope in discovering Truth, hope that God is drawing them closer, hope that Christ will fulfill the longing in their hearts.
Hope is not only something I offer as a companion on their journey; it is also something I receive from them. Walking with catechumens and candidates, I see the Spirit alive in their questions, their persistence, and their desire. Their hope becomes contagious, renewing me when I am weary and reminding me that God is still at work, still calling, still faithful.
This has been especially evident this year in our parish, which serves as a diocesan pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year of Hope. We have welcomed many visitors, inspired by the call to Divine Hope, coming as pilgrims to encounter Christ’s presence. Witnessing their expectation, trust, and perseverance is a living testament to the power of hope – a reminder that God’s promise is not abstract but real and tangible in our community and in the lives of those who seek Him.
Ultimately, hope calls me to live with Christ at the center, to surrender my own plans and let Him lead. I am reminded of John the Baptist’s words, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), a verse I see every day, having attached it to my computer monitor a few years ago. It is a daily invitation to trust that Christ is greater than I am, to let His presence guide my life, and to allow His work in the world to flourish through my small acts of faithfulness.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Zach Ault serves as the pastoral minister for St. Francis de Sales Parish in Paducah, a Diocese of Owensboro pilgrimage site during the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
To learn more about the Diocese of Owensboro’s celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 visit https://owensborodiocese.org/jubilee-year-pilgrims-of-hope/.
