A HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT

Erma Bombeck, an American Humorist, who died in 1996, wrote a newspaper column for many years. With great wit and insight, she wrote about life in the second half of the 20 th century. Here is an example of her writing about attending Church one Sunday.

“I was intent on a small child who was turning around and smiling at everyone. He wasn’t gurgling, spitting, humming, kicking, tearing the hymnals or rummaging through his mother’s hand bag. He was just smiling.

Finally, his mother jerked him about and in a stage whisper that could be heard in a little theatre off Broadway said: ‘Stop that grinning! You’re in Church!’ With that, she gave him a belt and, as the tears rolled down his cheek, she added, ‘That’s better,’ and returned to her prayers.”

Erma commented that when she saw this she became angry. The whole world is in tears and if you are not, then you should get with it. Erma wrote that she wanted to take the child into her arms and tell him about her God, the happy God, the smiling God, the God who had a sense of humour to create the likes of us.

She went on to say that she wanted to tell him that our God is a God of understanding, who understands little children who turn around in church and smile in church. Then, she concluded her remarks: “What a fool, I thought, this woman sitting next to the only sign of hope – the only miracle – left in our civilization. If that child couldn’t smile in church, where was there left to go?

We all come to church with different sentiments in our hearts. Some are here because they want to celebrate the joy that is in their hearts and the gratitude to God for the blessings of their lives. Others come with heavy hearts: sadness over the loss of someone dear to them, over a struggle that seems to be overtaking them, some who feel that life is not fair and that they have more than their share of difficulties.

Then, we hear St. Paul’s words to Romans: “…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

If our faith is to be real, then we must be a people of hope, hope is the virtue whereby we believe that something good will happen to us, be given to us. And the source of that hope, is not a child, but is the Son of Man, Jesus, the Risen Lord. But, the smile of a child certainly is a sign of that hope.

No matter how sullen we might be when we come to celebrate Eucharist on Sunday, we should leave with a smile on our faces because we have encountered the source of all hope, a hope that does not disappoint, Jesus the Risen Lord.