The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."-
Friends, God is good, all the time. When we consider how the world is rapidly spinning around us, one thing none of us can afford to lose is Hope. As a priest, there have been times I've offered encouragement based on faith to people, asking them to believe God to handle a situation they are dealing with for them. In some cases, the response I get is, "I hope!" The issue is not how they say it. It is how they utilize the word Hope. In most cases, they approach Hope in the common understanding of the word and not the context of God. We need authentic Hope to galvanize us to keep us going in both normal and hard times. Hope is "empowering thinking" about the future; it is a spiritual gift God gives us. Studies in the field of positive psychology have proven how Hope manifests a positive impact on athletic, academic, health, and work performance outcomes.
So, is there any Hope for tomorrow for us? Indeed, there is Hope and so much of it. Do you notice how Jesus gifted the crowds that were hearing him with Hope as highlighted by Luke? According to Luke, once Jesus was addressing a large group when his mother and brothers requested to see him. "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."
When we consider the words of Jesus carefully, we notice that his concern was to render Hope to the crowd. In the scriptures and life, generally, hopelessness is expressed in abandonment. When people find no hope in the success of an idea, event, project, or even a person, they abandon it.
Jesus understood the presence of the crowd provided hope for his mission and hope for themselves in seeking something more profound for their lives. So, he didn’t want to dash this hope by leaving them to attend to the family. See how Jesus raised their hope by first, showing them how God includes them in his family, and second, showing them that God is the source of hope; for he never abandons us.
Hope gives real strength to the Christian. St Paul names it along with faith and love as the three powerful life sources for the present and the future. Never lose hope. Anticipate a good future and live today in preparation for it through prayer and walk into the actual future just like today.
Prayer blessing: Father, we thank you for you for all your works that manifest your power in our lives. We implore you to lift us in your glory so that we will be defended against the challenges of life that destroy rather than build us up. Amen.