Hope, Mortality and Lunatic Prophets

My younger son was so impressed with a book he read in his First Year Seminar class that he recommended it to me. On Hope by Joseph Pieper, is a daunting looking little volume that has been on my pile of "to be reads" for longer than I care to admit.

When I finally opened it, my hope was renewed.

Early in the book, Pieper makes a distinction between natural hope, the gift of youth, and supernatural hope, a theological virtue. As a 53 year old woman I have spent the last 3+ years wrestling with my increasingly unavoidable mortality. Natural hope has died a slow and painful death.

Ezekiel, that fanatic of the Old Testament, is another one who had his struggles with hope. Ezekiel prophesied long after Israel had gone through its own version of the Civil War following Solomon's death. Years after the great north/south split, the northern kingdom was conquered and carried off into slavery. Then, it appeared that the south -Judah- would suffer a similar fate.

Ezekiel's chief concern, however, was not the overthrow of the nation of Judah. Ezekiel was appalled by the faithlessness of the people of Judah. Women were worshiping Tammuz with their tears, men were facing east in worship of the sun god, even the Temple was filled with images and objects reflecting the worship of other gods (from Anderson's Understanding the Old Testament).

Ezekiel's call was to individuals . . . to "turn, turn from all your offenses and your iniquity will not be your downfall" (18:31-32). Suffering was an opportunity to return to the God who loved them, the God who had redeemed them out of Egypt and had given them a new home.

What does all this have to do with hope? In spite of the faithlessness of the Judeans, Ezekiel expressed hope for the future. In chapter 47, Ezekiel sees the vision of a river flowing from the temple in Jerusalem. This river flows so wide and deep and strong that it flows down into the Jordan river valley and continues flowing down to the Dead Sea. This river from the temple refreshes that sterile sea to the extent that fishermen will line the banks with their nets.

This is hope. Ezekiel's hope came from a vision. Mine came from a book. For though natural hope disappears as quickly as youth, supernatural hope has its well-spring in the faithfulness of the living God. Supernatural hope is grounded in our longing for the eternal life with God.

At 53 I am reminded over and over that half of my life is gone. That reflects the death of "natural' hope. Supernatural hope reminds me that no matter how long I live, that time is short compared to the future I will spend with God, the God who redeemed me out of my personal Egypt.