[Editor's Note: This article is the third in a series on the theme “Being a Man of Hope.” Click here to find the first article and the second article.]
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him.” (Romans 4:18)
When we consider the life of Abraham, what we generally remember is his great faith. In fact, he is called our “father in faith.” But St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans that Abraham could also rightfully be called our “father in hope.”
The story of Abraham's ability to hope in God can serve as a blueprint for us. Abraham was already seventy-five years old and childless when God first promised to make him the father of a great nation (Gn 12:1-4). By the time he was ninety-nine, he still had no heirs (Gn 17:1-2). Yet he continued to place his hope and trust in God, and in the end received God's promise (Gn 21:1-3). Even when physical evidence appeared contrary to God’s word, Abraham hoped, and his hope was rewarded (Rom 4:18-21).
How did Abraham develop this great virtue of hope?
Hebrews 11:10 explains it this way: “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Times may have changed since Abraham’s day, but God has not changed, and neither has His plan. In faith and hope, Abraham obtained the promise. In the new covenant, Jesus’s birth, death and resurrection has opened the way for us to enter God’s presence free from sin and inherit that heavenly Jerusalem promised by God to Abraham and his descendants. As the offspring of Abraham, our father in faith, we have every reason to persevere in hope.
Abraham received only a “shadow of the good things to come” since God's promises were still unfolding. In our time, although still not completely revealed, God’s promises find their “Yes” in Jesus (2 Cor 1:20). While Abraham “hoped against hope,” our hope is secure in the Person of Jesus Christ. We can walk confidently every day knowing we will be fortified for those future times, which may even be here and now, when virtue is deeply tested — times of crisis and fear, a difficult relationship, or the loss of a loved one. Because Jesus has already won heaven for us if we choose it, we can place our hope in God's eternal provision for us, just as Abraham did.
Father, you sent Your only Son, Jesus, to be born as one of us. And more than that, You did not spare Him, but gave Him up for us all. How can we ever think that You won't give us everything we need for our lives in this world as well as eternal happiness with You in Heaven if we desire? Surely You are worthy of our hope.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion on Page 2
(This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel and originally appeared in the Catholic Men’s E-zine, Being a Man of Hope, (Mar-Apr 2003 issue) which is available on the NFCM website. You may email them at info@nrccm.org. Many thanks to the The Word Among Us for allowing us to include some material from various daily meditations.)
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. What are some of the attributes of Abraham that made him a man of hope? What do you think sustained and strengthened him through all his journeys and his long wait for an heir?
2. Which of the attributes you identified in question 1 need to be strengthened in your life? What steps can you take to do this?
3. In Hebrews 11:13-16, the author writes these words about Abraham and other Old Testament heroes:
“They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Abraham, and all of these other holy men, received only a “shadow of the good things to come” (Heb 10:1), for the promises were still unfolding. In what ways, in light of our celebration of Jesus’s birth at Christmas, and His passion, death, and resurrection, do we as Catholic men have a fuller revelation then these men and thus a greater hope? In what ways does this fuller revelation of God’s plan impact how you view your own circumstances and how you live your life as a man of hope?
