Hope in the Time of Corona

An article in this morning’s paper relates the conclusion of a long-range study about the role that religious practice plays in the success of working-class boys in completing college. Religious working-class boys are far more successful in comparison to other boys in the same socio-economic class, for whom there is a rising tide of deaths by despair (overdose, suicide, etc.), among other serious social ills. The study also compares working-class boys with their more economically-advantaged peers. These boys also have a far greater chance of successfully completing college because they have clearly identifiable advantages. They have role models in their successful professional parents; they live in neighborhoods where the social expectation is that they will go on and be successful in college; they don’t have economic barriers to their aspirations; and other advantages that working class boys do not share. The study found that the latter’s participation in religion effectively substituted for these advantages and made their otherwise unlikely success possible. One of the key aspects of religious participation was the impact of the community and the boys’ place in it.

In chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus begins his public ministry by standing in the synagogue and basically proclaiming his mission statement by reading from the Prophet Isaiah. It is no accident that Isaiah has some of the most beautiful and hopeful passages in all of Scripture, promises of what God will do for God’s faithful people, despite their current struggles. Jesus’ selection begins with the words, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor….” Jesus concludes his reading by stating that he has come to be that good news. Then he goes on to demonstrate it in his ministry. Two thousand years later, we continue to claim to be that good news as the Body of Christ. The study described above is one example of the power of what that means, literally to be good news for the poor. But it suggests something far greater as well. It illustrates the power of hope, not only for individuals like you and me, who certainly benefit from the daily choice to be hopeful people based on our faith in God’s promises, but also the impact of that hope on those around us and on whole communities. The gift of hope that our faith affords us is to be cherished certainly, but it is also a gift intended to be given away as the Body of Christ, of which we are a part, continues to be good news to the poor and the despairing. As the pandemic drags on in unpredictable ways and more people are tempted to despair, how will we be the fulfillment today of God’s hopeful promises?

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