For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish

Taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 8

I have nothing, yet I have hope.

That is an important message for the days ahead. We enter into the Passiontide today. We plainly see the church outfitted in mournful, sorrowful array. Yet we have hope.

It is not that I have already taken hold of it
or have already attained perfect maturity,
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it

The thread that runs through today’s reading and gospel is one of hope. Hope that God is acting in our lives. Hope that we may be one in Him, possessing all things in Him.

In our first reading God asks us :

Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!

If we live in the past we have no hope for God’s continuing action in our life. This reminds us that Jesus is far more than just a moment in time. He is here and now. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the entirely of the past and the fullness of the future.

God is always active and alive, doing something new in our lives. That new thing is the transformation that occurs in us. We are changed by the hope that we have. We are Christians and that makes us people of hope.

If we lived in the past and mourned our present, there would be no reason to go on. But we have Jesus Christ ever with us; God making everything new. Recall these words from the Book of Revelation:

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God). He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.” The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

God is not distant or far off. He is right here, right here inside each and every one of us.

Have any of you seen the billboards around the area. They picture Jesus and in English and Hebrew say— —If you call Him He will come. — We should remember that when we’re found lacking in hope.

When we miss the fact that God is with us. All we need do is call Him. He is active and engaged, past, present, and future.

Paul reminds us that there is nothing we can offer, nothing we can do by our own merit, to attain Jesus Christ.

It is only by Christ that we have hope. We are, each one of us, helpless children. All we can do is call out, in faith, Jesus come to me.

Brothers and sisters,

Do you think that the woman caught in adultery had any hope?

She caught a break for a few minutes, and I’m sure she was aware of it. They didn’t stone her on the spot, which should have happened. She caught a break so she could be used as bait in the Pharisees trap.

I’m also sure that she was aware of the fact that they weren’t going to let her go once they were done. Having been used, perhaps all her life, she would be used one more time, then be permanently disposed of.

Her hope was running out, the break was almost over, there she was before Jesus and the stones were ready to fly.

Everyone always wonders what Jesus wrote on the ground. Frankly, He may just as well have drawn a picture of a cow. He was ignoring the Pharisees.

Brethren,

We all know how sin is. The longer we get to stew in our sin, the longer that sin gets to eat at us.

Jesus let the Pharisees and the woman stew —“ and in the end He gave them the opportunity to repent. Only the woman stayed and He gave her hope, forgiveness of sin, and new life. She was ready, the Pharisees walked away, aware of their sinfulness. That’s the shocking part of the whole exchange. They were aware of their sin yet held no hope for forgiveness. In sin they walked away from God.

It’s time. It is time to stop stewing in our sin like the Pharisees; time to stand before Jesus, like the woman, like a small child, filled with faith and hope. It is time to stand before the Lord with trust in Him. If we do that He will make us new. He will not condemn us; He will not cast us out.

That is the gospel, the message of hope. I know I have nothing, yet I hope for everything, that is eternal life in Christ Jesus.