But the irony, as C.S. Lewis once wrote, is that the hardest thing to believe is that which we have just preached or defended to another. Giving the truth away leaves an empty place in the heart. And the only way to refill it, as Augustine did, is to turn back to God and beg Him again for His presence. Bishops, for all the grace of their office, are just as prone to formal faith and practical unbelief as any Christian in the pew. This is why I pray.
Hope gives joy.
Hope sinks its roots in faith and flowers in joy. At the end of the day, there are no unhappy saints. He was talking about Christmas, but since Bethlehem, we are all living in the morning of Incarnation every day. The task of every believer, and above all a bishop, is to be an agent of hope. This is why I pray.