Dare to Hope - Weekday Homily Video

I was finishing my homily Saturday morning when a priest friend called to talk about this past week’s tragic events and how he wanted to preach a message of hope on Sunday. We both agreed that the answer to our collective emotional suffering could be found in Jesus' response to the Pharisees in last Sunday’s Gospel when asked, “What is the greatest commandment?”

In Jesus' reply, we are reminded that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. As I read and prayed over today’s readings, I remembered the phrase, “dare to hope.” But, like a lot of things, I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it. That’s when I came upon a song by the same name, sung by a group called Sanctus Real.

As I listened to it, I found encouragement even as it detailed the hardest parts of our lives.

God is With Us

The song was written in response to a school shooting, and the writers explained that the take-home message is a “call for anyone impacted by tragedy and heartache to believe that God is still with us and that there is still reason to hope because of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.”

St. Paul’s message to the Romans and us is one of hope that “creation will be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” The key phrase is “will be set free.” St. Paul acknowledges that as we wait for this time, it is a struggle and, at times, a painful one, for we hope in what we do not yet see.

The songwriters cite the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote in the book of Lamentations, “I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope.”

Marvels the Lord Has Done

At times, we need to have our hope in God strengthened through the Holy Spirit allowing us to see, as Psalm 126 says, the marvels the Lord has done in our lives. It’s easy to forget them, as life moves so quickly and we are often overwhelmed. But it is important to write them down, take time to reflect, and talk with others of faith who can jar our memories of the good that God has done.

Because we have faith in God, we have hope. We believe in God’s all-powerful and loving care for us. Though, at times, it takes what St. Paul calls patient endurance. Faith combined with hope allows us to believe that God can do great things for us with even the smallest offerings on our part. Just like the mustard seed can grow exponentially, God can do incredible works in our lives and those of our loved ones.

We Choose Hope

Finally, the authors of “Dare to Hope” said, “We wrote this song for those with an unimaginable diagnosis, heartache, or tragedy to cry out and sing amid those circumstances and claim they will still choose hope.”

That is what we do at Mass; despite the challenges and heartaches, we choose hope because we believe in God’s love and the victory won to redeem us on that Cross. We choose hope every day!

• Today’s Readings

• Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.) 

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