PROPHETS AND APOSTLES: MODELS OF PILGRIMS OF HOPE
In his book “SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5)” about the Jubilee year of Hope Pope Francis teaches that “Christian life is a journey calling for moments of greater intensity to encourage and sustain hope as the constant companion that guides our steps towards the goal of our encounter with the Lord Jesus (n.5).
In this Jubilee Year as “pilgrims of hope” on a journey towards an encounter with Christ, is a moment of renewal by enhancing within us the virtue of hope given to us at baptism together with the virtues faith and charity.
This Sunday’s liturgy of the word gives Prophet Isaiah, Saints Paul and saint Peter and his brothers as models of true pilgrims of hope to us. Isaiah in that tremendous experiential vision of encounter with God’s glory he recognizes his weakness, his sinfulness and even the sinfulness of people of his time, we can simply say he recognized the state of his hopelessness and the hopelessness of Israel before God. He felt not fit to be in presence of God in his glory and said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips”. The same is St. Paul’s experience of hopelessness, before his calling he said, “Last of all he was seen by me, as one born out of the normal course. I am the least of the apostles; in fact, because I persecuted the church of God, I do not even deserve the name”. In the Gospel text, St. Peter expresses his hopelessness of life and work when the Lord told him “Put out into deep waters and lower your nets for a catch” Peter answers “Master, we have been hard at it all night long and have caught nothing” this is an answer of a man that had lost hope but the second part shows that not all hope was lost he still had some strength to give it a trial “but if you say so, I will lower the nets”, I am ready to try again. At the miracle of a great catch, again the man Peter’s hopelessness resurfaces and cries out, “Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man”.
As pilgrims of hope, in all our short coming, weaknesses, sinfulness, unfaithfulness we must let Christ tough our lives, Isaiah tells us that the Lord touched his mouth and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sins purged”. That touch is healing, the grace of forgiveness will be poured out upon God’s holy and faithful People, and they will experience the grace of the Jubilee as an outpouring of divine mercy. The encounter with the Lord, strengthens, encourages. It brings about renewal and makes us committed to him and his will. That is why Prophet Isaiah answered with determination to the call and with renewed strength and determination “Here I am... send me”, and Paul recognized that all he did was by God’s merciful love and favor, “By God’s favor I am what I am. This favor of his to me has not proved fruitless”. And in the case of the experience of Apostle Peter, when we encounter Christ, he gives us his word and we should be ready to receive it with joy. Jesus Christ tells all of us not to be afraid, is whatever troubles you, whatever challenges and difficulties you may be passing through, he gives us assurance that he will transform and change our sorrows into joy, our darkness into light, weakness into strength. As pilgrims of hope “Do not be afraid”.
~Fr. Justus