Hope and Community in 2023

As we enter the new year, I want to spend a little time thinking about hope. What is hope, and what can we reasonably hope for in the months to come. Can we hope in vaccines, can we hope in job security, or economic growth? Also, what does it mean to put our hope in Jesus. Perhaps we can get to the bottom of some of these question in the coming months, but at the beginning of the year, it might be worth getting a better sense of what hope is and how the Christian tradition has thought it.

There is, I think, a difference between our use of the singular and plural when speaking of hope(s). Using the word hope in the singular implies that there is a single ultimate hope. This is what many in the Christian tradition have called ‘fundamental hope’ and this kind of hope has no object that can be found to exist in this world. Hope in the singular is not necessarily about something that one can ‘have,’ but is concerned with what one is: with one’s own being. It implies that the deepest desire of our hearts can only be met by God alone. St Augustine put it well at the beginning of his Confessions, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” This kind of hope is about our ultimate end, it is about that thing which we seek for its own sake and does not lead to anything beyond it. Hopes, in the plural, are directed toward things in the world. These are penultimate ends. We can have many hopes like success in work or restoration of health.

There is one sense in which we have hopes (plural) for the new year. Things that we strive for that are worldly goods, like the goal to eat a little healthier and exercise, or perhaps spending more time with friends or family. These hopes are important for our lives. They are the reasons we get out of bed in the morning. But remember that the new year also provides us with the opportunity to strive for hope (singular). In this fundamental hope, we continue in the desire to be united with God and ask for the gift of charity and faith to lead us along the way. I really believe that in order for us to achieve our hopes and our hope, we need the assistance of others. The journey of life is made possible along with others who are encouraging us along the way. We need each other. To have hope is never to be an individual striving for our desired goods, but the recognition that others are important for achieving our goals. We have been led to believe that any success is achieved by us alone. And that any failure—especially of others—is their fault alone. Over generations we have been taught the lie that individuals are accountable for their own fortunes; that individuals are the bearers of praise or blame. Our institutions and culture perpetuate the idea that we are self-sufficient and that we cannot rely on others when in need. Or, that our needs are a burden to others. I firmly believe that if we are to achieve our hopes in 2023, we will need to relearn what it means to be the church, to be community, for each other. In 2023, let us reimagine the way that we can help each other achieve both our hope and our hopes.

Happy New Years, St. Paul’s. Let’s do 2023 together!!