Hope in the Midst of Dark Times
S. Brenda Walsh

A recent article by Fr. Brian Massingale, Professor of Theology at Marquette University, offers an awesome challenge to bring hope to a divided and broken world. Hope is the center of our lives. It is not just the assurance that everything will work out the way we hope it will. It is the assurance that no matter how things turn out, God can act through all the events and happenings in our lives and they can be turned into new possibilities and opportunities for life and growth. French Poet, Charles Peguy describes hope as "that little earnest of a bud that appears in April." We cannot see the fully
developed flower but it is there in the making within the bud.

This reminds me of a story Harvey Cox told about an American businessman who went to Switzerland to enjoy his vacation. He decided to be adventurous and try some mountain climbing. He found himself a reliable guide and the two set out to climb the Matterhorn. The first day went well without incident. At the end of the day, the two settled in for a good nights sleep. At night the temperature drops sharply and ice forms on the glaciers. The early morning sun melts the ice and makes a terrific noise as it tumbles down, as great masses of ice crash against each other. The American tourist was paralyzed with fear and shouted to the slumbering guide. "Wake up. Wake up. The end of the world is here."  The guide woke up and knew what was happening. "Go back to sleep," the guide said. "It is not the end of the world. It is the beginning of a new day." Soon they continued on their upward journey. The tourist did not let his fear get in the way of reaching his destination.

Journey of Hope
At times after watching the evening news, it is a challenge to imagine a world where there is peace in the war torn areas of the world, a world where the hungry are fed and resources are used for health and healing and sustainable development and human needs of all kinds. We may feel like the tourist and see only the worst. It can be the beginning of a new day.  Hope is in the journey, not just the destination. We have the assurance that God walks with us at every step of the way and that Divine Power is the source of our hope and of our strength to bring about needed change. 

Fr. Massingale names the pain and agony around the world. The good news, he assures us, is that these problems have been created by humans and can also be corrected by humans. Impasse can be a gateway to new possibilities. In other words, we can turn obstacles into possibilities and opportunities for growth and new life. He points out that avoiding or escaping the problems is not the answer.

As people of faith, we are obliged to enter the struggle to create a just, humane, and healthy society. We need to name the causes of the problems and then to respond to the actual reality of the poor and excluded ... a reality that includes the social, political, cultural, economic and spiritual aspects of life.

Power of Faith
Our faith empowers us, says Fr. Massingale, to be the compassion of Christ and to be agents of healing and reconciliation in a broken and divided world. He assures us we can go forth with confidence as St. Paul reminds us: "To him whose power now at work in us can do infinitely more than we dare ask or imagine - to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, world without end." (Ephesians 1:3: 20-23)

There are many places where we can see signs of hope. As St. Paul says in Acts: "I am willing to stand on trial for hope in God's promise to the people."  We can keep climbing together and know that is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new day. God is truly the God of our journey as well as the destination. Let us journey forward in hope.

(Fr. Massingale's ideas are printed with permission of Origins 8/16/07)