Hope Does Not Disappoint

by Mark Hoggard

We live by the clock. Time is money. We calculate time minutely because of overfilled schedules, too little sleep, too many demands. We hardly have the time to consider our responses; we just go, go, go. This Sunday's gospel (Luke 12:32-48) contrasts calculating time with considered faithfulness.

The gospel reminds us that, as servants of Jesus, we must be vigilant and faithful always. We must show Jesus' care and concern for others, and we seek to do this as Jesus himself did. Our mission is not to calculate when the Master will return, but to live in and be his abiding presence now. We may not be fearful about when the end times will come, but Pope Francis acknowledged that "Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness," but for all of us -- Pilgrims of Hope -- our current Jubilee of Hope should be "an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God's word helps us find reasons for that hope" (Spes et confundit, 1).

As the baptized, perhaps we should spend less effort calculating time spent on everyday tasks, and more effort on time spent on discipleship. Faithful discipleship cannot be calculated only by time spent at church, how much we give to the poor, and time spent in personal prayer (as important as all that is). Faithful discipleship must also include vigilant responses to others, genuine care for them, and reaching out as Jesus himself would. Because of this kind of fidelity, the Master is never absent, and "hope does not disappoint" (Romans 5:5).

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