Greetings!

What is it that we hope for? For some of us, the answer to this question centers on our own lives, on the outcomes we wish to realize for ourselves and for those we love. Because our vision tends to be "local," we are often unable to see beyond the silos that insulate us from the sufferings of the world. Predictably, such thinking involves the desire for economic security and access to all the advantages that come from living in a prosperous society based on democratic principles. For others, the answer may extend to the well-being of those who, despite living in the same society, lack access to the very rights, freedoms, and privileges that we may take for granted-- to those living in food deserts, lacking access to healthcare, education, transportation, and adequate housing. Disturbed by what we see, we hope and pray for societal transformation, often becoming advocates for those who have no voice. And for still others, hope extends beyond national boundaries and is based on our vision for the world-- a vision based on peace, harmony, respect, and global cooperation.

In each case, we see possibility. We hope because we have reason for hope -- some memory, some insight, some moment of inspiration that reassures us that someday our dream will become reality, despite every obstacle and setback we encounter along the way. Perhaps our dream may be far off, coming to fruition in future generations. Abraham, for example, never got to see descendants as numerous as the stars, though his son, Isaac, was born to him and Sara in their old age; similarly, while Moses could see the Promised Land from Mount Nebo, God did not allow him to cross over into it. Both Abraham and Moses were desert wanderers -- migrant tent people-- and both had the faith that allowed future generations to flourish.

It is faith that allows us to hope. Because we believe that God, in God's time, will work all things for the common good, so we keep on trusting, secure in the knowledge that, through God's grace, all shall be well. Despite every horror, despite every atrocity, despite all the evils that depraved humanity can unleash, yet we can still have faith. It was this conviction that allowed the Civil Rights activists of the 1960s to sing We Shall Overcome with gusto -- and to believe every word! May this be our prayer...

Many Blessings!

Elizabeth

LINK TO SCRIPTURE READINGS

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Get dressed, light your lamps, and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding; be

ready to open the door immediately when he knocks.

Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at the table, and proceed to wait on them.

And should he come in the middle of the night or towards daybreak and find them prepared in this way, it will be good for those servants. Be sure of this: if the owner of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming,

he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

Luke 12:35-40

The theme of being trustworthy runs through this Sunday's Gospel. Servants who are awake, alert, and prepared during their Master's absence will experience a surprising role reversal: he will serve them, and they will recline at his table. Conversely, those who are ill-prepared or who have been carousing or abusing the other servants will be punished, some with severe beatings and others with light beatings, depending upon their level of culpability.

Servants in the first group have their hearts in the right place. Dressed for service, lamps burning bright, they keep watch for their Master's return, ready to unlock the door at whatever time he knocks. They are loyal, focused, and reliable, and their reward is nothing less than the Messianic banquet. In Rev. 3:20, we read: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any hear my voice and open the door, then I will enter their house and dine with them, and they with me." For those who are awake, the banquet is an ever-present reality, with Christ present as both host and guest. Love meets Love at the door, and the welcome is mutual. Just as these servants have attended to their Lord, so He will attend to them. The experience is one of union and joy.

As for the other servants, both groups abandoned their responsibilities and thought only of their pleasure, drinking to excess while tormenting the servants they were supposed to supervise. These are the "lukewarm" ones, "neither hot nor cold," worthy only of being spat out (Rev. 3:16). Devoid of love, integrity, and kindness, they differ only in degree: some are fully aware that their actions would offend

the Master, while the less guilty are ignorant of his expectations. Whether the beatings are light or harsh, however, the real punishment is being excluded from the Banquet to which their righteous counterparts have been invited.

In Jesus' parables, Banquets and Marriage Feasts always symbolize the Kingdom of God, that experience of absolute oneness with the Holy One. To be admitted, one has to be correctly attired, robed in grace, ready to serve, filled with light, with lamps burning brightly, and ever watchful, listening for that knock on the door, no matter how faint or how long the wait...

+++