Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
In his now famous interview in America Magazine, our Pope Francis draws a distinction between optimism and hope. On one hand, he describes optimism as a “psychological attitude.” On the other hand, he describes hope as the faith of the Fathers who “kept walking, facing difficulties.” Both of today’s passages speak to the difference between optimism and hope.
The first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, aims to encourage Roman Christians in the face of suffering and persecution. Not only do individuals or even the Christian community suffers, but all of creation is “groaning” for redemption from “slavery to corruption.” The response to this is not quite optimism. It isn’t simply a matter of seeing the cup as “half-full.” In fact, for St. Paul it isn’t a matter of seeing at all. Instead, it is matter of hoping without seeing: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.” Constancy, walking with and facing the difficulties that afflict us, is the product of hope. Hope inspires us to drink deeply from the cup we’d much rather let pass.
The second reading, from the gospel of Luke, describes the Kingdom of God in parabolic fashion. First, it describes the Kingdom of God to the tiny mustard seed that blossoms into a “large bush.” Second, it compares the Kingdom of God to the yeast that leavens the “whole batch.” It seems important that both of these descriptions involve processes. The seemingly insignificant mustard seed and the small measure of yeast within the flour both initiate growth. As the seed and the leaven, we are called to participate in the blossoming and leavening of the Kingdom. However, our participation is often beset with difficulties and challenges. Moreover, these difficulties and challenges often make us less than optimistic. In these instances, St. Paul’s encouragement is helpful. It helps us endure in hope, especially when we don’t see.
Ultimately it seems that our faith is not a matter of optimism or pessimism. Instead, it seems a matter of hope. As Pope Francis says of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, “And hope does not disappoint.”
Today let us ponder in our hearts how we live in constant hope for the flourishing of God’s Kingdom.
- Adam Sheridan