Great Hope & Expectation

A Reflection on the First Reading for August 7th, 2022:
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Wisdom
18.6-9

The night of the deliverance from Egypt was made known beforehand to our ancestors, so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted.

The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies were expected by your people. For by the same means by which you punished our enemies you called us to yourself and glorified us.

For in secret the holy children of good people offered sacrifices, and with one accord agreed to the divine law, so that the saints would share alike the same things, both blessings and dangers; and already they were singing the praises of the ancestors.
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Father, You are so mysterious. I do not know what the future holds, and so much is veiled from my eyes; I need to rely entirely on the little light You give to choose the next steps along my path and make small strides in trust and obedience. There is so little certainty in life, and listening to You is challenging amid worries and distractions that contribute to my heart’s restlessness.

Yet, You do like to share Yourself and (parts of) Your plans with us, and I see that pattern here in this scripture verse from Wisdom. You spoke to your People well in advance, to promise them deliverance from slavery in Eygpt. Throughout the Old Testament, we hear Your prophets proclaim Your goodness and mercy, and Your messages provide hope to Your faithful ones. As Hebrews 11:1 declares, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” so it seems to me that we could not receive the gift, and practice the virtue, of faith without also being gifted with some knowledge of what You have in store.

If I could have my way, I would request that You write a detailed letter with a description of everything You want me to do and an overview of how things will play out. But I also know that this is not even what I need, and that it would probably terrify me to have that kind of insight before going through the necessary preparatory steps, which You already know I require. All I can do is trust in Your timing, and do my best to recall Your promises and fix my eyes on the eternal. The most important things in life are not what the world holds up as dear, and so I need to ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand what to expect and how to hold onto hope. 

Your promises might not be fulfilled in my lifetime — maybe I am the ancestor of someone who will come to see their fulfilment, just as the People of Israel had to wait many generations for their deliverance from Egypt. But just as the fulfillment of that promise was meant to point to an even greater promise, of deliverance from slavery and sin through Christ, I suspect that even if my waiting continues forward it will also echo and arrive at an even greater promise. 

Father, please help me be patient and faithful in waiting, and give me great hope and expectation that is founded in You. Amen.




Kendra L.

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