Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Homily for 6 Sep 2017

6 Sep 2017

We hear the word “hope.”  And we think of “wishes” or “desires” which we’re not sure if they’re going to come true, but we’d like them to.  That’s how we use the word “hope.” 

It’s kind of like Christmas morning for a little kid (and adults, too) and “hoping” that we’re going to get a particular gift.  We might get it, but there’s always the possibility that we won’t. 

But Saint Paul uses the word differently.  When he talks about hope, he means something that we know is going to happen, but it’s just a matter of waiting for it.  And so, within the idea of Christian “hope” are the ideas of confidence, peace, and no worries.

Again, it’s like Christmas morning.  There’s no doubt that that blessed morning will come.  The kids aren’t worried about that.  And that’s the kind of hope we have as Christians.  We have a “sure and certain” hope.

We don’t have to worry if good or evil will triumph in the world.  Evil may have the occasional “win” on the battlefield—you know, a terrorist bomb, or a shooting, or something tragic like that.  But we Christians possess a “sure and certain” hope and knowledge that goodness has already won the war.  It’s just a matter of waiting for evil to accept it.

God has blessed us with the virtue of hope; a sure and certain, confident hope.  The storms of life will come, but no worries . . . we know God is with us.     

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