anchored in Jesus 1 - 2nd week tuesday 2015

The letter to the Hebrews acknowledges that even for a Christian it is easy to fall into despair and to give up on our resolutions and the good work we have begun.  Like a ship battered by the waves we need to be anchored firmly so that we will remain stable.  Without this anchor we will be easily tossed to and fro, we can be crashed into the rocks and we may lose our way in the vast ocean.  And what is this anchor?  It is called hope.  In fact the virtue of hope is symbolized by an anchor.

The letter to the Hebrews proposes to us the lesson of Abraham.  God made an oath to Abraham that he would make him the father of descendants who would so vast they could not be counted as the sands on the shore could not be counted.  For this reason Abraham traveled from Ur not knowing where God would lead him.  He reached old age and Sarah his wife reached old age without a Son.  And yet they held on to the promise until Isaac came.  Then one day the would-be-father of so many nations whose descendants outnumber the sands was told to sacrifice his only son Isaac in Moriah.  He did as he was told anchored only on an oath made by God that he will become the father of many nations and so many descendants.  This was Abraham’s hope.  His anchor.  And for thousands of years that too would be Israel’s hope until the time of Jesus.  They went into diaspora, they were ruled by bad kings, they were threatened by enemies whose might exceeded theirs and still they held on.  They anchored themselves in God’s promise to Abraham.

Now you have come back after seeing the Pope.  But the pope is gone now.  Now you will go back to your books and routine.  The spirit, the enthusiasm, the fervor will wane in time.  Where is your anchor?  What, where and to whom do you base your hope so that whatever comes, whatever winds of change shall sweep, you can still hold on firmly to what you have set your sight on.