Light in the midst of darkness

Good morning, happy Saturday, and many blessings. 
Today’s gospel, Mark 16:9-15, is about hope for the hopeless.
 
I was reading yesterday a story about a man who climbed up on the side of the Brooklyn Bridge and was about to jump when a policeman grabbed him and drew him back. The man protested, “You don’t understand how miserable I am and how hopeless my life is. Please, let me go.”
 
The officer tried to talk him out of it. He told the man, “I will make this proposition to you. You take five minutes and give your reasons why life is NOT worth living, and then I will take five minutes and give my reasons why I think life IS worth living both for you and for me. If at the end of ten minutes you still feel like jumping, I will not stop you.” So, the man spoke for five minutes. The officer spoke for five minutes; and at the end of ten minutes, they joined hands and jumped off the bridge together.
 
They had lost their hope like a lot of people these days. With the loss of loved ones, the loss of financial security, or the loss of health, many are reeling in sea of despair. t was not all that different for Jesus’ original followers nearly 2,000 years ago.
 
Hope is the life force that keeps us going and gives us something to live for. Hope is a crucial part of dealing with life’s problems and maintaining strength is the face of obstacles. Even a glimmer of hope that our situation will turn around can keep us going. Though, when we begin to lose hope, things can seem depressing. When we run into constant resistance and are prevented from reaching our goals, we can start to feel like there is nothing to live for. If we can’t get to where we want to be and don’t feel in control of our life, what’s the point?
 
The central message in today’s gospel is that hope is found in hopeless situations when we “come or return to Jesus.” Jesus desires for all people to come to him.  He doesn’t care where you’re at in life.  He doesn’t care about your age or what you do for a living.  He doesn’t care if you have it all together or if your life is falling to pieces.  He just wants you to come. 
 
But also, in my experience there are three human realities in which I must work to combat hopelessness. The first is loss of connection – When we experience loss over time we can start to feel hopeless. The second is victimization – When we are abused and belittled, we can start to believe that is how life is supposed to be. We can begin to feel that we don’t have any control over what happens to us and that bad things will always occur. And third, burnout – If we don’t take care of ourselves, we can get exhausted and overwhelmed to a point where life seems to run over us. We no longer feel able to manage our responsibilities and develop a negative and cynical view of the world and others. Burnout can lead us to feel defeated.
 
Your homework for today: Jesus is risen, so don't be confused; instead, be confident and tell somebody the good.
 
Blessings
 
Fr. Luis+