Hope is not always what we expect

Over the course of the last week, we had a very exciting event happen.  Every year at this time, we start to hear the "year in review" things happen in the media.  We look back as a nation and ask…what was most significant this year?  What happened?  Then, I think one of the events we all take notice of, is when Time Magazine releases it's person of the year.  A lot has happened with a lot of people this year, and the list of potentials ranged from Edward Snowden, who told us about the government's spying program, to Miley Cyrus, to Kathleen Sebellius, who came under fire by our Church as the government person forcing us, who believe contraceptives are wrong and harmful, to cover them in our insurance plans.  Thankfully, we found a little ground on that issue and it's finally being heard in court.  Also on the list was our President, a gay rights activist, and Pope Francis.

If we've been watching the news, I think we know who won, and we're joyful to say Pope Francis became Time's person of the year, a distinction he shares with only two other popes, John 23rd, and John Paul 2.  When I read some of the article about him, when I saw some of the commentary online about that article, it was amazing.  To read many of the articles from Catholics, it almost sounded like they were embarrassed to have Francis named, they had titles like "Time names the right person of the year for all the wrong reasons," and stuff along those lines.

As I was reading through that and reflecting on what to say this Sunday as we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of hope, It slowly became clear to me, something that I think we all struggle with, From our political leaders, to those in government, to our Church, to our own families, nearly every aspect of our lives.  Sometimes good things don't always look they way we expect them to.  Sometimes we jump too quickly to condemn or fix, rather than letting something grow…and seeing how it does.

In the First reading, we hear from Isaiah about the desert turning into a flowering garden.  Imagine someone standing in the middle of that desert, waiting for the rain.  Think how they'd be labeled a fool, or crazy by most of us, but they saw little signs that gave them hope.  In the gospel, Jesus reminds us, God doesn't usually work in the ways we expect him to.  He asks the pharisees, what did you come out to see?  Obviously not a king, or a reed swayed in the wind, but a prophet.  They came out to hear from God…but when God didn't say what they were expecting…they simply walked away.

As people of faith, how do we react when we see someone taking a risk for their faith.  Do we pull them aside and say…it'll never work.  Do we dampen their spirit and discourage them.  When we see our holy father actually speaking out and sometimes being mis-understood, do we thank him for standing up and really trying….or do we criticize him for not being careful enough?  Are we sometimes so careful with our faith, our lives, that we're afraid to take risks? Or do we have the real hope that Jesus is coming, he will save us.  That's why we wear rose for this day, we stand in the darkness of winter and prepare for the sunrise, to hope that comes with the rising of the son…

So now is the time we decide our fate for eternity.  Are we at least as concerned about where we will spend the rest of eternity as are about earthly concerns?  Does the idea…I need to invest at least as much in my eternal salvation as do in my retirement plan, ever occur to us?

When we have hope, real hope, when we look for the good wherever we can, we're free to take risks.  When we take risks, sure we can fall, but we also have the chance to really succeed.    Hope can sometimes come in the most unlikely places, in ways we would never expect.  So we must watch for the unexpected, reach out to the world and explore, we must seek new ways to share old truths, and not simply reject new ideas because "that's not the way we've always done it"

Above all, we must take risks, As Our Holy Father said on his election, and I think we're quickly seeing that it's a rule to live by for his papacy, and judging by his success so far, something that we should all take to heart.  "I would prefer a Church of accidents a thousand times, over a Church that is so afraid of acting, of going out that it gets sick."  Do we live like that.  Full of hope and promise whenever we see someone reaching out to do go.  Do we take risks ourselves and support those who do?  Or do we step back and criticize those who take risks and at least try?  Afraid to step out of the safe comfort zone of what we know and trust.