Don’t give up

“Let us keep firm in the hope we profess …” This is a passage found in our first reading today from Hebrews 10:19-25. This is the challenge we face in these turbulent times. It is to believe in the future and to trust in the God of history, the One in whose hands lie the movement of those forces that influence the ebb and flow of our lives, the life of our diverse communities and the life of our planet. Given the way things are moving at present, it would be easy to lose hope. But we are challenged to hold on. This brings me to the gospel reading today from Mark 4:21-15 where Jesus talks about the lamp that we put on the stand for all to see and for all to be seen. This light is the truth and it reminds me of my years of living and working in Fijian villages. During my early years in Fiji many of these villages had little access to electricity. So, these people relied on hurricane and keresene lamps. What would happen is that, as we were sitting around the tanoa sharing thoughts about life and religion, the light emitted by the lamp hanging from the rafters or sitting on a table would begin to weaken and someone would ask permission to pump the lamp. This would help to bring the lamp back to life and for the light to shine brightly again. This was very helpful for me because, as a hearing disabled person who relies to a certain exent upon lip-reading, it helps to see people’s faces if I want to be part of the conversation. But there are some who don’t want to be seen, who sit in the shadows, either because they are shy or just don’t want be drawn into the conversation. I think there is a close connection between the need to face the truth about ourselves and about our world and to ensure that our hope is well grounded and realistic. To be truly hopeful does not mean that we should be blind. It is not to allow ourselves to be duped by ridiculous conspiracy theories. We are called to ask the hard questions, to come out of the shadows, to enter into serious conversations, and to trust that even the smallest of efforts to make our world a better place are worthwhile, even in the face of relentless wars, constant misinformation and the gross misuse of power.