Assurance of our Hope in God

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Tuesday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, January 19th, 2021

Texts: Heb. 6:10-20; Ps. 111:1-2.4-5.9-10; Mark 2:23-28

It is human at times to face a situation that makes one wonder whether God ever takes notice of our good deeds. This kind of situation could weaken us and make us sluggish spiritually.  Today's first reading says, "God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do." However, these words should not be misunderstood to mean that by our works we merit favour from God. The point, here, is that God will always fulfill His promise for those who do good work. Justice requires that one keeps his/her promise to others. When we keep our promise to others we fulfil the demand of justice and as such we are being just. God has promised those who  do good works and He will always fulfill His promise for them. Hence, we are encouraged to continue in our good deeds and not to lose hope. It is said, "And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." When we face situation of such that makes us doubt whether God ever takes notice of our works, let us remember those before us obtained the promise by their faith and patience. What we need to obtain God's promise are faith and patience. Let us hold fast to our faith and be patient.

The reading tells us that God has done all that could make us place our hope in Him, in His promise: He has confirmed the promise with an oath. Hence, we now have two unchangeable things: His promise and the oath. He does this so as to give us the assurance of our hope in Him. It is said, "Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us." This means we no longer have reason to doubt God's promise; He has come down to our level to convince us of the unchangeable character of His promise; He has spoken to us in our own terms and language. Here again we see how God has condescended for our sake. For us humans oath is used to ratify every dispute, and God has employed it in confirming His promise, that we may be sure of our hope in Him.

The reading also uses the word 'anchor' for hope. It is said, "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf". Anchor is used to hold and stabilize ship when weather is rough and seas are turbulent. What we need in time of crisis of faith, in trouble time, in time of discouragement and temptation, is hope. Let us continue hoping in God, no matter what; He will never fail us. It is the hope that we take us to God's presence, where Jesus has gone before us. Jesus has gone before as our defender. In today's gospel reading, He defended His disciples against the attack of the Pharisees. He has gone before us to defend us before His Father and our Father. He is before God the Father, interceding for us.

God our Father, grant that we may not lose our hope in You, help us by Your grace to be patient and wait for the fulfilment of your promise in our lives. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke