In today’s first reading from Romans 8, St. Paul talks about hope. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds that grows into something great, and yeast is an amazing agent of change. Two aspects of the Kingdom for us to ponder.
St. Paul says, “Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.” So what is hope? Here’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 1817: “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
Our hope is heaven, the resurrection of the body, life after death. These are all things that cannot be seen. But we believe, because God has assured us of them, if we hold fast to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to read the Catechism’s brief section on hope (1817-1821). If we put our hope in the Lord, it will lead us to the other two theological virtues of faith and charity.
Father, help us to lead lives of hope, knowing that your Kingdom will come and your will shall be done – in the world and in our lives. Amen.
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