It Ain’t Over Yet

Dear Friend,

As I read Alice Camille’s reflection on the readings for this Sunday, my heart sang a little song of joy. Alice focuses our attention on the second reading, where the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews probes the story of Abraham for a new Christian community trying make sense of a Messiah who died on a cross. She writes:   

“In those hours when that giant sucking sound we hear could be human history going down the drain, we might find comfort in the idea of rickety old Abraham jump-starting a whole new era. Simply by buying into hope! One trusting person, as good as dead, is sufficient to turn the fate of the world on its axis.” (This Day, August 2022, p. 84)

It’s true, Abraham is referred to as a man “himself as good as dead” and “past the normal age” and yet, there he is, ignited by a hope that connects him to God’s power to bring new life. I think of Mary singing out to her cousin Elizabeth about her own experience of God’s Spirit coming to her so unexpectedly: “The Mighty One has done great things for me…remembering his mercy…according to his promise to Abraham…”

Yes, in her hour of great surprise, Luke tells us, Mary too thought of Abraham. That’s why St. Francis saw her, Mary, as the model of true “poverty,” which is actually a life-giving openness to God. For all of us, such openness can bring from within word of hope. Luke tells us that real hope requires a sacred exchange: trading in our fear (and other deathly attitudes) and procuring “a money bag” that never wears out. The title of Alice’s essay says it well: It Ain’t Over Yet. 

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan ofm, Pastor