The power of hope: Homily for Friday, July 11, 2025

Hope. It is hard to imagine that Jacob did not hold onto even the smallest glimmer of hope that he would see his son Joseph again. Even though many years had passed, Jacob shows the depths of a parent’s love for their children, and it is a sign of God’s love for each one of us. Readings for Today.

The power of hope

Well that was a cheery gospel. It really though describes what life for a Christian was like in the early church because this was a very accurate description of the lot of so many who chose to follow Jesus and to speak in his name.

It’s not something really that we like to think about that our lives are really going to face some persecution. In fact I heard a homily once (as I fight this little bug) I heard a homily once that if we haven’t really had to struggle with Christianity with our relationship with Jesus then maybe it’s the case that we haven’t followed Jesus.

We think of his ultimate promise that we will be able to go to heaven to follow where he has gone but here on earth in many ways we follow where he has gone by recognizing that to stand for something can be upsetting to others. How can this even be possible that they would have said yes after listening to this tremendously difficult description of what lies in store for them?

Well, of course there’s only one way. They had come to know the Lord Jesus personally and they had come to realize that he did everything, he did for something much greater than what we could experience here.

Now of course we know that it can be difficult because we don’t really know what Jesus has in store for us. We know he has a place for us because the Gospels tell us so but really when we look at the scriptures they don’t say much specific. In fact St. Paul tells us that it hasn’t even dawned in our minds what God has prepared for those who love him. So it can be difficult.

Consider the difficulties of the years and years and years that Jacob wondered about his son Joseph. You know it can be the case that we’d say well after all those years it seems that he has concluded that his son has died. But I can’t imagine there wasn’t always during all of that time the slightest hope that maybe Joseph was still alive. And today his hopes are realized.

Joseph is not only alive but Jacob gets to meet him again before he dies. How amazing is our God really? Because our God inspires people to recognize that we are never alone regardless of the depths of our suffering. That’s what Jesus could realize and it was in that spirit that the human Jesus could say not my will but your will be done. And in our own lives it’s important to recognize that we are never alone. Jesus is always with us. And so today trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ let us ask for the grace that will help us to realize that with God all things are possible.

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