Our Reason To Be Hopeful

Deacon Tom Writes

“Our Reason To Be Hopeful”

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A

Hope is such an enduring quality. We cling to hope in troubling times as if it was life preserver and we were adrift in a stormy sea. Hope is what keeps people of faith going when our world falls apart. You see and hear it in media reports on the faces and in the voices of people who have lost their homes through floods or wild fires. They inevitably talk about rebuilding not just their homes but also their lives. Hope gives them the courage to face a new day.

Hope fuels our dreams also. We hope to get into the college of our choice; we hope to get that perfect job or that promotion. We hope that one day we will meet the love of our life; we hope that a bad situation will be favorably resolved. We hope others will change their ways… or better yet, that we will change ours! No matter what we hope for, we are not likely to give up hope without a fight.

In today’s scripture Peter advises us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope”. Peter wants us to pay close attention to those things in which we place our hope…. and to be able to tell others why we hope in them. Key to Peter’s advice, however, is that the focal point for Christian hope is Christ. He is the fulfillment of all our hopes. Peter wants us to put our hope in noble things, “...treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.” (Mt 6:20)

Yes, we hope for that new job, good things for our children, a good resolution to an illness or bad relationship…but our Christian hope seeks the ultimate goodness that comes from having Christ…. “as Lord in our hearts” (1 Pt 3:15) as Peter says so well.  With Christ as Lord of our hearts, our hope will turn to treasures, relationships, and loves that will last forever and provide us ample opportunity to share the reason for our hope with everyone.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom