I’ve been reading the results of a lot of polls in newspapers, magazines, and on line during the past several months. They say that the American people are pessimistic to the point of feeling dispirited. Of course, polls are blunt instruments at best – depending on the particular thousand people or so that have been polled, their moods at the moment the questions were put to them, and the way the questions have been framed. Admittedly, while I take polls with the proverbial grain of salt, I’m not one of those who see the media as utterly unreliable axe-grinders – except, of course, Fox News, which does seem to me to be a bit of a propaganda machine. And so, I imagine that people are rather despondent, these days. And I suppose the pollsters are right in claiming that it’s connected to the war in Iraq with its threat of civil war, but I think that it’s a lot more than that. Sure it’s connected to the war on terrorism. Terrorism is a reality, spawned by people with even less hope and far more despondent, in some respects, than ourselves, and not likely to evaporate with more force.
It’s more than terrorism, though. It’s finance that really touches the nerve endings of most Americans. The economy may be doing well, but the average American isn’t. Most have experienced their financial position shifting in a downward direction during the past four years or so. Those who found themselves unemployed are employed again, but with lower wages. And many employees find their benefits – medical insurance and retirement – much lower than they were. They don’t see that changing. Fuel prices are up, but the average household income is not. Those who looked forward to retirement now wonder if they ever will – with all the talk about social security being replaced by retirement or medical savings plans for a people who can’t seem to save and a national economy that can’t seem to grow without them spending more and more. Then there’s the environment, what some consider a non-issue, but most see profoundly affected by the very industries on which whatever prosperity we do see meeting our needs in the short term. And let’s not even think about the potential effects of the growing deficit or the condition of the poor among us. Whatever the causes of the sense of pessimism, there’s less hope now than we’ve seen since the ’70s.
When people lose hope it’s tragic, but many more people in this world live on a lot less hope than we have if it’s based on safety, security and material prosperity.
Hope is like a house. It’s built on a concrete foundation – not cement but tangible. Jesus used to say that people ought to be aware of what they build their foundation upon. He said it in a parable. He said that if you build your life and your hope on sand – on whatever shifts under the pressure of circumstances – you’ll be disappointed, because it’s bound to fall down. But He added that if you build on rock you won’t be disappointed, because it won’t shift under the pressure of circumstances. If you base your hope on personal safety in a violent and unstable world that’s likely to become even more dangerous the more we try to dominate it, you’ll be disappointed. If you base your hope on material wealth or even security in a system dominated by those who look out for their own wealth, you’ll be disappointed. If you base your hope on retirement or the provision of social security and medical care, you might be disappointed. If you base your hope on the notion that the environment isn’t in trouble, you’ll be disappointed. If you base your hope on the generosity of politicians or leaders in business and industry, you’ll be disappointed.
There’s only one foundation on which the foundations of our lives and our hopes can depend without disappointment. By definition it has to be a foundation that doesn’t shift and isn’t subject to the vicissitudes of change in this world or interest in personal gain. It short, it can only be God.
That’s the great message of the Resurrection that we celebrate during Holy Week and especially during Easter. There is reason to hope and a foundation for life in this world that’s unshakable. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, demonstrated absolute devotion to us by voluntarily subjecting Himself to the shifting vicissitudes of living as a human in this world. He voluntarily subjected Himself to the self-interests of other people, and it killed Him. But then He rose again and thereby showed that He – that God – is never limited by any hopeless situation. God – the risen Christ – is not defined by the forces and circumstances that tend to discourage us. Instead, Jesus’ death and resurrection demonstrate that God cares enough about us to involve Himself with us in the midst of our lives and that He can overcome anything. Focusing our hope on Christ – not on particular outcomes – but on His love and support is the most enduring foundation for our hopes. So pin your hopes on Christ and hitch your wagon to Him! Happy Easter!
Affectionately yours in the risen Christ,
Phil +