Sunday Inbox Inspirations
Easter Sunday
Cycle C
April 17, 2022
Easter Hope
We have all seen some pictures of the human tragedy in Ukraine.
It is happening right before our eyes in a way we would never have imagined. I am aware that this has affected my approach to Easter this year.
It has led me to look for hope. And so, this Easter, I turn to the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection for hope.
The Foundation of Hope
I see hope as more than optimism.
The dictionary defines optimism as an inclination to put the most favorable perspective upon things. It means that we assume the best possible outcome in a situation.
Being optimistic can be good, but for me, hope is something different. Hope is built on faith in God and, for me, faith in Jesus Christ.
It is the faith that there is a God, that God is love itself, and that God loves each one of us. And very importantly, hope is also built on faith in the paschal mystery – that death can lead to new life.
I believe we have confirmation of this paschal mystery in our own life experience. As a senior adult, I still look at the simple example of planting a seed in the ground, something that looks like a death and burial, but this leads to sprouting and the new life of flowers and vegetables.
For me another example of dying leading to new life goes back to my childhood. I didn’t always like it when my parents told me I had to do my homework instead of hanging out with my friends or watching a favorite TV show.
Today, I guess it would be doing homework instead of texting our friends. At any rate, that dying to self, in doing my homework, led me to fuller life; it led me to become a fuller and much more alive person.
So, I believe in the God of love and I believe in the paschal mystery. And that’s what Easter is about – that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and that this same thing happens for us even when we die to our physical bodies.
What Is Hope?
It is this faith that leads me to have hope.
Our Catholic Catechism says that hope is the confidence that God accompanies us on the journey of life and guides us to eternal life. Let me repeat that: the confidence that God accompanies us on the journey of life and guides us to eternal life.
So, for me, hope is trusting that life can emerge from all forms of death and darkness and evil. It is trusting that the vision of life as given to us by Jesus can really happen.
So, we might trust in this vision as we try to figure out a way to heal a long-standing family rift. We might trust in this vison right now as we pray for a change of heart from war-waging to peace-making in Russia.
We might trust in this vision by being willing to ask for forgiveness, even though we don’t like to admit that we were wrong, even though we don’t want to be seen as weak or less than perfect. And we might trust in this vision as we keep on working for a better future for our family.
This hope does not necessarily mean that we think everything will turn out rosy right away. It does mean that we are led by the vision given us by God and that we feel empowered to keep doing our part to make that vision a reality.
Ultimately, this hope is grounded in what we celebrate today – the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, this year especially, for me, Easter is all about hope.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
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