O Say, Can you See? -- How to be fearless in faith

The Star Spangled Banner, Print by Percy Moran, 1913.

The immortal lines penned by Francis Scott Key are, if anything a hymn of the hope of victory against all odds.  Even more so, for as we know the author began writing the poem when he was still captive in a British Brig.

After Scott Key’s return to the homeland, his poem was quickly published and set – of all things – to a popular English tune.  That was hope on steroids!

In many ways, Epiphany also represents a hymn to a victory certain, but not yet fully accomplished.

In his first lesson, the Prophet Isaiah points to a new era, a new dispensation, that would come of all places, from Galilee.  “Galilee?  What’s the matter with you, Isaiah?”  Don’t you know that nothing good can ever come from Galilee?”

But for those who opened the eyes of faith they could see, far in the distance a new light shining, a new light like the Pillar of Fire which led the ancient people out of Egypt into a new future.

Psalm 27 is a psalm attributed to David, who likely composed during a period of intense personal danger and political turmoil, about one thousand years before the birth of Christ.

Scholars suggest it was written during either his flight from King Saul (1 Samuel 19–24) or the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15–18).  In other words, Psalm 27 is also a hymn to a future but certain victory.

When St Paul heard what was going in Corinth it may have been very upsetting, to say the least.  One can easily imagine St Paul throwing the inkpot against the wall and asking, “What’s the matter with those people?”

And here is the thing – He could have written them off and moved on to other congregations that were doing much better.  But because St Paul had a hope grounded on God through his Spirit could and would accomplish, St Paul nevertheless wrote the letter. 

And in doing so, he left for us chapters that two thousand years still resonate with us.  “For I passed on to you what I received from the Lord himself.  On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.  Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you,” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).

Or, as in Chapter 13, If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  Love is patient and kind.  Love never is boastful, proud or rude.  Love does not demand its own way, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”

In the words of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in all his triumphs and trials St Paul was ever, “A Prisoner of Hope.”

When walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw some rough fishermen.  Fishermen that for being at sea could never keep the times and schedules of prayer.  Fishermen who in selecting the best fish had to touch with their rugged hands a catch that would render them impure under the eyes of the religious crowd.

Jesus did not pick up students fresh out of Seminary, or people well connected with years of experience, nor people who could trace their lineage all the way to the Mayflower of their days, Noah’s Ark.

Jesus looked beyond what ordinary people could see, and under the light of hope, Jesus cherry-picked those who along Him would transform the world.  Yes, for sure there would be pettiness, envy, and even, as Jesus found later, a traitor and a denier.

But Jesus had hope.  Not in what He could accomplish his mission with the help of a magic wand, but because Jesus too was caught in the strong and unstoppable outpouring of God’s grace, love, and mercy.

In the same way, Epiphany encourages us to look at our own lives and to this old St. David’s not just with the eyes of “What ifs…, I can’t…, or We are too small and overworked”, but with eyes filled with hope.

It is this very hope, rooted in divine love and mercy, which will empower each one of us, and together as a community of faith to persevere through the ebbs and flows of ordinary life, knowing that the unstoppable tide of hope is with us and eventually will carry us to a safe harbor.

Be cheeky. Be fearless in faith. As you navigate the challenges of the next few days and weeks, let the message of hope ring strong in your heart and mind.

And so, my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let me close with a verse worthy of being stuck on the door of your fridge and in every fiber of your heart,

“The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?

“The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”

Fr. Gustavo