Tag: Hope
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Relentless Advent
The season of Advent, when we wait for the coming of Christ, is more relevant and urgent the more we are experiencing turmoil. If all is generally well, the promise of Christ’s coming is not likely to be as crucial to us. But when life is difficult and darkness looms, the appearing of the Light…
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Outer Darkness and Hope
A Roman centurion approaches Jesus and begs for him to heal his servant, and Jesus is amazed at his faith. In fact, Jesus remarks that he had not encountered a faith like this man’s in all of Israel. “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table…
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Practicing Hope
Hope is one of three chief virtues, together with faith and love. As with all virtues, courage, humility, perseverance, and all the others, we are required cultivate them. Even though God gives faith, hope, and love, they do not simply appear fully formed in us. Sometimes we wish for virtue to come in this no-effort-required…
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Raised to Hope
Last Sunday we looked at a couple passages, Psalm 30 and Ezekiel 37, which used resurrection imagery to describe what God does. Being raised up from seemingly hopeless situations was the theme for both David and Israel centuries before Jesus. Lest you think that we exhausted all references in the Hebrew scriptures which speak of…
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On Christian Hope
This is the homily I wrote for my mother’s memorial service which was held this past Tuesday. At the Last Supper, when Jesus was gathered with his disciples, the evening before his death, he said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone;…
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Unknown Hope
If all you hope for is what you want, you don’t have much hope. Most of our wants are from the ego-centered self which dreams of arranging everything for its satisfaction. The Greeks warned that getting what you want, as seen in the tale about King Midas and his golden touch, is not as good…