No Hope If Tomorrow Is Not Better

 

For in this hope we were saved.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Tuesday of 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, October 31st, 2023
Texts: Romans 8:18-25; Psalm 126:1-6; Luke 13:18-21 

Today’s message is about hope. There is no hope if tomorrow is not better than today. If we have reached perfection, there is no reason to hope again. The idea of hope is that the best is yet to come. Hence, St. Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” By the words, St. Paul calls us to hope. It is an encouragement to accept the present for the sake of what lies ahead.  

Hope is a continuum, there is no break between the present and the future. St. Paul says, “For in this hope we were saved.” This means our salvation here and now is the result of our hope. Here and now our hope has gotten its impact upon us. As much as hope is a journey to the future, the present is a step in the journey. Every moment of the journey bears a measure of what we hope for. At every moment hope is fulfilled to certain degree. Hence, hope is not just about future but also the present. 

The present is lived fully to realise our hope

We cannot deny today and still have hope just as we cannot deny the future and still have hope. The present is lived fully to realise our hope. We live every moment with patience as we wait. Patience is the function of hope. St. Paul says, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Patience means sustaining right composure and behaviours, not breaking the continuum.   

Jesus calls us to hope by describing the kingdom of God as a growing entity. The kingdom has a future in which its perfection lies. Being a growing entity the best always lies ahead and we continue to hope for it; the present moment is not worth comparing with the glory that lies ahead. This tells us that our best is yet to come and so we should continue to bear with one another. We continue to live together in forbearance, forgiving one another in the spirit of growth. 

Prayer 

God our Father, we thank You for the salvation which You have started in us here; grant that we attain it fully in Your heavenly Kingdom. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke