Third Advent Candle at the Peace Cathedral – Dedicated to Hope Tekla Oganezov lit the candle and read the reflection by Keti Osephashvili

Today, as we light the fourth candle of Christmas, let us speak about hope.

Not as an idea, but as an experience—one that either all of us have had, or at least once have longed to have.

In the Bible, we often see that God comes to a person not only when things are going well, but also when that person is weak—confused, without strength or answers. Hope is born precisely at such moments—not in calm, but in difficulty.

In psychology, we know that a person can endure pain for a long time if they feel that this pain is not meaningless, and that it is important and meaningful for someone and for something. Hope is exactly this sense of meaning and purpose—that no matter how difficult a particular stage of our life may seem, we still have the desire to mend it, care for it, tend to it, and have the hope that this too shall pass.

We, as a society, often live against a backdrop of fear, uncertainty, and anticipation. In such times, we feel especially strongly how much we need one another—each other’s attention, listening, and support. Hope comes alive precisely then and becomes real—when we find the strength to share one another’s pain and to be small lights for one another.

In the ожидание of Christmas, this candle reminds us that God comes among us—in relationship, in care, in compassion. And that light is born when a person chooses hope not only for themselves, but for others as well.