No matter what we’re facing, we can turn to God with hope
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It’s time to begin something! That’s one of the major themes of the readings this week.
Ordinary Time is beginning. The First Week in Ordinary Time (in the Church’s liturgical calendar) begins on Jan. 12.
We also have the beginning of a long sequence of readings that will take us through First and Second Samuel and First Kings, up to the start of Lent. And those readings begin with a beginning! We hear the story of the conception of Samuel — the first of the great prophets — and his call (the famous “Here I am, Lord” passage).
We begin a long series of readings from the Gospel of Mark this week that, because it is interrupted by Lent and Easter, will carry us to June 6. These readings begin with several beginnings: the start of Jesus’ preaching in Galilee; the call of the first apostles (Simon, Andrew, James, John and Levi); and the beginning of the major dispute with the scribes about Jesus’ preaching and healing. (Don’t forget that the call of Levi can also be considered the beginning of the writing of the Gospel of Matthew.)
Finally, we celebrate the feast of St. Anthony this week on Jan. 17. He’s considered the beginning of the monastic movement.
All of these beginnings seem very promising — and they are! But it’s important to remember how sorrow plays a role in them.
The readings from the First Book of Samuel start with the sorrow of Hannah regarding her infertility: “In her bitterness she prayed to the Lord, weeping copiously.”
The readings from the Gospel of Mark start out with the notice: “After John had been arrested” — and we know how that turns out. We even hear the beginnings of the kingship in ancient Israel, which seems glorious. But the origin of that kingship, which will pass through David and culminate in Jesus, is the rejection of God as king of Israel. Sad.
Each of those beginnings, then, foreshadows the way of the cross: A sadness is turned into a triumph. God doesn’t do bad things to bring good from them. Rather, bad things happen in a fallen world, and the lesson is: Even the bad things are not beyond the reach of God. Again and again, bad things are what humanity offers to God; again and again, God brings good out of them.
What lessons might we draw from that for the new year?
First, consider the person of St. Paul. The greatest enemy of the early Church was turned, by God’s grace, into the greatest missionary of the early Church. So, we should never despair of people.
Second, consider the cross. What appeared to be the greatest tragedy in Jesus’ life and ministry turned out to be His definitive triumph. So, we should never despair of situations.
That doesn’t mean we can or should call evil “good.” As the Catechism says: “But for all that, evil never becomes a good” (CCC 312).
It does mean that, whatever we’re facing, we can turn to God with hope and say, with St. Paul: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
It’s a new year. Great things are beginning all around us. Just remember: Great things sometimes come from sad beginnings.
