by Father Caleb Buchanan

DURING THE SEASON of Advent, the priest utters a startling phrase that explains and introduces the reason for the Incarnation: “When our need for a Savior was great……”

It is hard to imagine an age when this phrase doesn’t ring true in our lives. In every age until the end of the world, our need for a Savior will be great.

Our need for a Savior and Salvation unveils what Blessed Pope John Paul II referred to as the “Veritatis Splendor,” “The Splendor of Hope.” Hope for the Judeo-Christian is born from what many theologians call “communion.” Hope also rests in promises proclaimed by the Word of God and His chosen prophets.

In our first reading today from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses foretells the emergence of a great prophet for the nation, the Chosen People of God. This prophet will not rebel against God, nor mislead God’s People through false prophecy. We, the leaders and members of the Mystical Body of Christ in the Church, believe that this great prophet is the greatest of all the prophets and the fulfillment of their prophetic promises: Jesus Christ, the Splendor of our Hope.

We are called to preserve our hope in a spirit of worship. Through Psalm 95 today, we are reminded that the Lord constantly gathers us to worship Him. We are to worship Him with sincere hearts always seeking to carry out His will. We must preserve our expectations that He will deliver on all His promises to us. Even when it is most difficult, we must avoid turning against Him and His will at all costs.

We find the Lord Jesus, in the today’s Gospel of St. Mark, exorcizing with the ultimate Power of God fueled by the authority of His teaching rooted in God’s word. The need for Jesus Christ to continue these marvelous works of gospel preaching through the Church, and garnering the removal of evil from our lives has never been greater in human history. The need for us to renew the radiance of the Splendor of Our Hope in our lives requires a revitalized devotion to reading, understanding and sharing the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Despite the claims by many in the academy, the media and the government against the appeal of Christianity in our world, we cannot discount the Power of Jesus Christ to reach the hearts of those who still need Him and His Gospel Hope. Every day, new people are looking for this great prophet and Messiah foretold by Moses and the prophets. Every day, people are hanging on for dear life for the right words, images, and examples to fuel their hope to “live, and move, and have their being.”

St. Paul, in today’s second reading from First Corinthians, addresses our role in being witnesses and examples of this hope in the world. He addresses the need for focus and single-mindedness in showing others a holy life. While he holds up remaining single as being potentially more effective in demonstrating such Gospel witness, he acknowledges that there are those who need to be married. In our world and Church today, there are great single, married, lay and consecrated people living extraordinary lives of holiness and Christian service. You do not have to look far. But you do have to look.

You have to look for God’s People striving for wholesomeness, holiness and excellence despite the “mud-slinging” that all too often characterizes discourse about human beings and our personhood in our neighborhoods, on the airwaves, in our workplaces and yes, unfortunately, even in the Church.

The reason for our hope is usually not very far from us. But once we give in to the attitude that the failures of human beings that fuel 24 hour news cycles and burn the telephone wires of the gossip grapevines, we have worn out the mind’s eye to see beyond such demoralizing rubbish to the amazing things so many among us are doing for God’s glory.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Splendor of Our Hope, calls us to love one another as He has loved us. He calls to trust one another in locking arms against evil in our midst. He calls us to proclaim His Gospel of Life in one unified and mutually affirming voice. When we do this, souls so desperate for His love will exult and acclaim Him: “Glory to You Lord Christ Jesus, Our Only Hope!” [hr] Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 7-9
1 Corinthians 7: 32-35
Mark 1: 21-28
[hr] Father Caleb Buchanan is the parochial vicar of St. Martin de Porres, Bedford-Stuyvesant; coordinator of the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, the diocesan West Indian and African-American Apostolates; and chaplain of Medgar Evers College.