'We've Got To Go And Hope Somebody'

‘We’ve got to go and hope somebody’

By Kathy Gallo

Connecting Faith and Life

Life, with a faith perspective – a Catholic perspective – is full of paradoxes. The Gospels remind us that we gain our life by losing it; that it is when we are weak that we are strong; the last shall be first; and the Shepherd goes out to the lost sheep leaving the 99 by themselves.

The fullness of Jesus’ teaching, the Beatitudes, turns everything upside down. It is the poor, the hungry, the persecuted, those who mourn the gentle, merciful and pure of heart who are blessed. Jesus’ message makes us uncomfortable. He seems to be describing something much different than happiness.  And yet, as a community of faith and as individuals we know that it rings true from our life experiences. We are happiest when we empty ourselves for others.

Another example of a paradox is that the word Lent means Spring. How can this season – often compared to the desert – that calls for prayer, fasting and almsgiving be named Spring? It seems counterintuitive.

However, it is very much in line with Catholic (and Judaic) theology to see time as sacred in and of itself. Sabbath time or the holy time we set aside during the season of Lent is meant to be a time to steep ourselves in life, in creation, in God. It is not about doing. It is about being present.

Abraham Herschel defines Sabbath in his book of the same name, “The Sabbath is not for the sake of the weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake of the Sabbath. It is not an interlude but the climax of living.” Lent is Sabbath time. It is a time to realize the holiness of time and to experience life. Lent as Sabbath enables us to immerse ourselves in this holy time and discover the transformative power of Christ.

Living Lent as we do is a paradox in and of itself because we know the end of the story. We know that Jesus the Christ has risen from the dead. We know in our hearts that resurrection is with us all through the days of Lent.  We receive ashes; and as we pray, fast and give we know that we will celebrate the joy and the hope of Easter.  We still practice resurrection living and see it all around us as we experience Spring. Lent teaches us once again that less is more and that practicing letting go allows us to be filled with hope.

Hope arises from the paradox of the cross. It is experienced in the desert of Lent and in the joy of resurrection. It is the reason we see such joy in people who live in poverty-stricken countries. It is discovered when you least expect it. It is the great surprise. Hope is the indescribable joy we experience in relationships, in community, in the struggle; in giving and in the eyes of children. In Hebrews we read, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (11:1). In 1 Peter we are challenged to “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (3:15).

Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II tells this story of his grandmother: “When we were growing up, Grandmamma and her nieces always cooked for the whole family (and for anyone else who happened to stop by). When I was at her house, I often sat with them in the kitchen. They would hum songs from church as she rolled out biscuits and stirred pots on her old gas stove. They also had a ritual whenever the food was done. Grandmamma would take a bottle of the anointing oil that she rubbed on people’s heads when she prayed for them and slip it into the front of her apron. She and the other ladies would take some money, a rag, and some of the food they’d cooked and they would say, “We’ll be back shortly. We’ve got to go and hope somebody.”

Living the paradox of Lent with the knowledge of Easter allows us to take time during this season to recognize signs of hope all around us. Rev. Barber thought his Grandmamma had mistakenly used the word hope when she meant help.Lent is our time of cooking and singing and praying. We rediscover hope in the changes of the season, in the budding of new flowers and creation’s outward revelation of new life.

We are renewed as we walk Jesus’ path in the darkest of days. We are inspired by those who have chosen to be fully initiated into the Church and realize that their journey is our journey as well. Lent is spring. It is “hope finding time” and enables us to “go and hope somebody” – to be witnesses and bearers of hope wherever we find ourselves, and to practice resurrection living every day.