Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
October 26, 2021
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we pray once again with Psalm 126, a song of hope fulfilled:
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
Psalm 126: 1-3
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
In our readings, we are called to be people of hope – to live in gratitude for hopes fulfilled, and to live in confidence of future blessing.
Paul blesses us with some of his most powerful words:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
Romans 8:18
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
How often, over the ensuing centuries, have these words uplifted and embravened a struggling heart! Paul reminds us of what he so passionately believed – that we are not here for this world alone; that we, with all Creation, are being transformed for eternal life in God.
Jesus too reminds us that our life in faith is so much bigger than we perceive. We see a tiny mustard seed, but God sees the whole tree of eternal life blossoming in us. We see a fingertip of yeast, but God sees the whole Bread of Life rising in us.
Paul tells us to be People of Hope who do not yet expect to see the object of their hope but who, nonetheless, believe and love with all their hearts.
May we pray this today for ourselves, and for anyone burdened by suffering or hopelessness at this time in their lives.
Poetry: Hope – Czeslaw Milosz
Hope is with you when you believe
The earth is not a dream but living flesh,
that sight, touch, and hearing do not lie,
That all thing you have ever seen here
Are like a garden looked at from a gate.
You cannot enter. But you're sure it's there.
Could we but look more clearly and wisely
We might discover somewhere in the garden
A strange new flower and an unnamed star.
Some people say that we should not trust our eyes,
That there is nothing, just a seeming,
There are the ones who have no hope.
They think the moment we turn away,
The world, behind our backs, ceases to exist,
As if snatched up by the hand of thieves.
Music: Living Hope – Phil Wickham
Lavish Mercy 