Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(1 Peter 1.3 NRSV)

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Sir Winston Churchill was once asked by a reporter, what was the greatest weapon his country possessed against the Nazi regime of Hitler? Without pausing for even a moment he said: "It was what England's greatest weapon has always been--Hope."

Contrast Churchill's testimony with that of Alexander Solzehnietzen in his GULAG ARCHIPELAGO. He writes of convicts called "goners." These were men who had given up hope and were already dead on their feet. They might shuffle along listlessly in line and stare vacantly a few more weeks, but it was all over with for them. Why? They had given up. Evidence is accumulating that we cannot live without hope. Doctors know that telling some patients that they are terminal is in itself a death sentence. When people have no hope, when they give up, deterioration is rapid.

St. Paul was looking toward those things as yet unseen, but still anticipated. This hope kept him from losing heart. Belief in the future will do that. That is the first step we need to take in order to keep from losing heart--in order to strengthen the inner being. God gives us hope in the future.

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Dear God, clear out the things in my life that obscures your hope. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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