This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. – Romans 5:5 (CEB)
A new year is upon us, and it is a time for hope. That may seem a tall order for some in these days. With political instability around the world, temperatures rising, and innumerable other issues of concern to contend with, what sign is there that anything hopeful is on the horizon? Yet, I was struck by this call to hope recently.
At the January meeting of the Moorestown Ministerium, Father Jack reminded us of the call for hope at the beginning of a new year. We had just heard long reports from three different organizations with close ties to the Ministerium who work on affordable housing and homelessness. We had heard about the overwhelming need for housing – that New Jersey needs 200,000 more units of affordable housing to meet the need, meaning that for every unit that opens up there are 14 applications vying for it – and how strong that need is in Burlington County. Any given night, there is estimated for be over 1,000 people in the county who are considered homeless, with an estimated third of those people children. One could easily feel hopeless coming out of that conversation. Yet, looked at differently, we had just heard from three different passionate leaders working tirelessly to make a difference against a sea of need. How incredible is that! This is cause for hope, that there are such people willing to persevere despite the immensity of the need. This is not just a reminder of hope, but a call for us to take part as well in meeting the needs of the world. The three organizations are all ones that St. Matthew has long-standing partnerships with – MEND, St. Vincent DePaul Society’s Moorestown chapter, and Family Promise of Burlington County (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network).
As we enter this new year, may we be filled with a hope that is aware of the challenges of this world, but also a faith that what we do matters and makes a difference. Part of our baptismal calling is to work for the sake of those who are oppressed, and so such hope is a core piece of our faith. Indeed, it is a work of the Holy Spirit to inspire such hope within us. Let us hold tightly to such hope!rises allows us to take part in the ways that God goes against what is expected. Both are needed for our faith to remain vibrant and prepared for the regular appearance of Emmanuel, God with us.