The Reason of our Hope

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Homily: Sixth Sunday of Easter (A)

17 May 2020

“Great news! Carona (Corona) Virus vaccine ready. Cures patients 3 hours after injection. Hats off to US Scientists!” That was the gist of Trump’s announcement that Roche Medical Company was set to launch a vaccine with millions of doses available for distribution!

Some friends of mine commented: “Sana TRUE!” Sadly, this bit of news released in March proved to be a hoax. Had there been any truth to it, we would have been out of quarantine by now and everything would have gone back to normal, right? But here I am, and there you are, all of us, still stuck at home.

This was but one of many supposed cures to Covid-19 being circulated on social media. These types of messages do more harm by giving already distressed people ‘false hopes’ for a solution. In contrast to the false hopes that hound us in cyber space, our readings this Sixth Sunday of Easter direct us to our true hope. Throughout the bible, scripture teaches us to pin our hopes on God rather than on people, possessions and things of this passing world. We recall how the prophet Isaiah pronounces: “Woe to those who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the Lord. (Isaiah 31:1). It continues to juxtapose the mortality of an army with the power of the Messiah, who brings true deliverance from oppression. The Psalms further remind us “not to trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” (Psalm 146:3) In Psalm 20 we hear: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God. (Psalm 20:7). This trust in God set apart the ancient Israelites from their oppressors. Much later, we even hear St. Paul exhorting Timothy: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17)

If there is one lesson that many of us should have learned during this health crisis it is that we are not invincible and we are foolish to think we have full control of our lives and our fate. All the achievements of mankind and the values of the world have consistently deluded us into placing our trust in created things— things that glorify the human intellect and celebrate the extreme capacities of the human body. Essentially, we have placed our trust entirely on ourselves. It took a global pandemic to expose us to the frauds that we are. Despite our scientific and technological advances all it took was a microscopic virus to shut down the world and fell nations. No matter how exceptional we are, we still have our limitations. We are, after all, but imperfect creatures.

We Christians, are fortunate that we have been taught dependence on a Higher Being whose existence and power are boundless and infinite. Our experience in the first half of 2020 merely reminds us that our hope must be grounded on the One who promises us that He would not leave us orphans and who would comfort us through the Spirit of Truth that dwells with us, in us. (John 14:17) Our hope rightfully rests in Jesus Christ.

Recently, I was seized by this candid shot of a gray-haired Nanay on Catholic Connect’s Instagram Account shared by Atty. JB Batiancila. She stands at the threshold of her humble home, that actually seemed more like a shed, intently focused on a well-worn book, perhaps the only book in her possession. It turns out she was reading the Bible while there was daylight since her house had no electricity. I found this to be a beautiful image of giving primacy to God’s word amidst the seeming hopelessness and helplessness of our present reality. I believe the example of this elderly lady is inviting us to be steadfast in spirit, to have the mettle to endure, to make personal sacrifices for loved ones and even strangers, hoping against hope, because the bible is proof that God is true to His Word. If our God is indeed trustworthy, would you not say that our hope is properly placed in Him?

I find it necessary to emphasize that hope is always a choice. We can always choose to direct our thoughts and feelings towards being hopeful or hopeless. It is so easy for us to focus on more depressing news such as the fact that the number of COVID cases is still increasing. Can we not choose to highlight the positive such as the fact that we recorded the highest number of recoveries (145) in a single day during the feast of Our Lady of Fatima? It is up to us to choose what lens we use to look at our given situation.

We all have the capacity to see life in the midst of death and sickness around us. For us Christians the story never ends in death, but in life because of the gift of mercy, redemption and salvation from Jesus Christ. First Peter says the reason of our hope (Jesus Christ) was “put to death in the flesh, but was brought to life in the Spirit.” Just recently the streets of Lambunao, Iloilo reverberated with the sound of drums celebrating the recovery of five members of a family stricken by Covid-19. Closer to our homes, The Medical City (TMC) announces a Code Joy over their PA system every time a COVID patient recovers and is discharged. It brings together the entire hospital to a simple but powerful act – a round of applause – to boost the morale of both patients and staff.

Many people have been asking, myself included, “When will this end?” (including this homily) According to a Yahoo News article citing historical data, pandemics typically have two types of endings: “the medical, which occurs when the incidence and death rates plummet and the social, when the epidemic of fear about the disease wanes.” So, when will this end? Reliable sources say a vaccine might be ready by the end of this year or early 2021. (Sana soon and Sana all!) But is that the measure by which we are to live? I say choose a different perspective. A mindset where this situation ends when we choose to hope rather than despair, when we acknowledge that our life depends on God more than on ourselves, when we choose life over death. Let us come out of this experience a renewed people, open to surrender our present and our future to God, completely believing in His power to turn the tide of hopeless situations into a fountain of grace.