The Challenge of Hope - April 28,2025
Today’s Readings - AM Psalm 1, 2, 3; Dan. 1:1-21; 1 John 1:1-10; John 17:1-11
I can only imagine how people who did not witness the risen Christ must have reacted when they heard the testimony of those who did. Yesterday’s gospel from John is the account of Thomas’ reaction when he returns to the upper room and his friends tell him they have seen their risen Lord. He earns the nickname “doubting Thomas” because he dares to doubt, to question, to demand proof that who they have seen is his Lord.
When my oldest daughter was in the fifth grade a classmate shared that one of her grandmothers had survived Auschwitz. She was reticent to tell most people because she was often met with disbelief. She had been told by some that it was all a lie, “made up stories” to gain sympathy for the Jews. Coincidently, I had met a man earlier that year who had told me the very same thing. I had argued with him for several minutes, until finally Stan pulled me away. He could tell I wasn’t getting anywhere, the man was claiming there was no proof, nothing that couldn’t have been manufactured. I was completely bewildered by how someone could be so easily swayed by what clearly appeared to be lies, purposeful attempts to berate the Jewish people even further.
It won’t be too much longer after the writing of today’s epistle from the first letter of John that there will no longer be anyone left who could serve as a firsthand witness to the miracles Jesus performed, to his ministry, his teachings, his resurrection appearances. From that point forward all future believers will need to trust the stories, the accounts that are passed down by mouth and then by writing. Faith and trust will be the lynch pins to belief that earlier had been by sight, by touch, by hearing, proof of his existence, of his resurrection.
John’s letter assures the new church, that if they simply believe, if we walk in the “Light” then we will have fellowship with one another. How do we accomplish this? I talk to a great many people who on a daily basis find themselves depressed, angry, despondent, withdrawn. Many tell me they no longer know what to believe, how to manage conversations, how to bridge chasms that have been created by distrust.
Holy week and the culmination with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection took us from the table where Jesus shared his last meal with his friends back again to the table where each week, we share the bread and wine that we know as the Eucharist. The light from the resurrection that graces us each day, shines with the hope that Christ’s resurrection brought. It is this hope that gives us the courage to gather shoulder to shoulder at the table, to approach the differences that separate us, to listen with open hearts and minds. It is this light that gives us the courage to do as Jesus commanded, to break bread together with those we may not understand, we may not trust. It is this light that sheds hope on our attempts to deny the dark that threatens to overshadow our communities, our relationships, our peace of mind.
Pope Francis’ final Easter address, spoke to the hope that the light of Christ brings:
"Sisters and brothers, especially those of you experiencing pain and sorrow, your silent cry has been heard and your tears have been counted; not one of them has been lost!... The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion.... That hope is not an evasion, but a challenge; it does not delude, but empowers us."
As difficult as it may feel, as fruitless as it may seem, our role is to go in peace, sharing the love of Christ, denying the power of the dark. We have a choice, to lift high our voices full of hopefulness or sit mute or worse yet, complain and do nothing.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Reflection and Challenge - When you are confronted with doubt or disbelief, how do you respond? With a defensive attitude? With disdain? Or, do you listen and then respond with questions, trying to understand the other's position? What does walking in the "light" mean to you? How do we accomplish this?