April 2: The Sixth Sunday in Lent: Palm Sunday
Be joyful in hope. God finds us, calls us, claims us in our ordinariness and sends us to do the extraordinary among the unknown; to accomplish the improbable. This is a daunting task, but we are girded in hope.
Jesus in the gospels reminds us that this Christian journey is never easy. Jesus preaches and teaches with his disciples as he makes his way toward Jerusalem, toward death and resurrection. Jesus knew that he would not always be with those he loved. He knew that they would face hardship and trials and temptations. So like any good teacher he prepares his followers for the time to come. “Do not be afraid. Do not worry,” he says to them and to us. This is the foundation of hope.
Our world needs hope. The most hopeful people are those who have known defeat, suffering, struggle, and loss and are not overwhelmed by them. They are the people who have found rock bottom, been disillusioned and disappointed and still look towards a different future. There are those who insist that the future will be different than the present. Hopeful people know that Jesus’ words on the cross, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do,” is not giving up, but holding on to hope.
We need to be hope-filled. We need to be outposts of Divine hope. We need to live in hope. So friends in Christ, be joyful in hope.
Tags: 2023 Lenten Meditations