“The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion. Thanks to Christ - crucified and risen from the dead - hope does not disappoint! … That hope is not an evasion, but a challenge; it does not delude but empowers us.”
“All those who put their hope in God place their feeble hands in his strong and mighty hand; they let themselves be raised up and set out on a journey. Together with the risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love and of the disarmed power of life.”
Hebrews 11:1, comments and translation:
As I have mentioned before, the message about faith and hope in Hebrews
11:1 is often misunderstood.# Christian
hope is not about “blind faith,” some sort of leap in the dark. A modern translation of Hebrews 11:1 is:
“Now faith (πίστις, pistis) is confidence (ὑπόστασις, hypostasis) in what we hope for and assurance (ἔλεγχος. elengchos) about what we do not see.” (NIV).
The word hypostasis expresses “essence,” which philosophically meant “real being,” and elengchos expresses “evidence of truth,” “the proving,” “verification.” Also, the syntax in the Greek is rather choppy, but that form makes a point rhetorically. (I can feel the author saying, "So there!") A more literal translation would be:
“Now this is faith: of things hoped for – essence (what is real), of things not seen – verification!”
Paraphrased for smoother English, and picking up the author’s thought in context:
“Now this is faith: the reality of the things we hope for [the promises of God] and the proof of things not yet seen [of the promises of God].”
When we understand that “faith” (pistis) is the commitment of entrusting oneself in relationship with God, we realize we have entangled ourselves with the Most Real, who has demonstrated his Presence and faithfulness in the Resurrection.
Easter Application:
Pope Francis, in his Easter message, grounds Christian hope in the Resurrection. Based on that reality, he goes on to proclaim:
“Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.”
“Sisters and brothers, especially those of you experiencing pain and sorrow, your silent cry has been heard and your tears have been counted; not one of them has been lost! In the passion and death of Jesus, God has taken upon himself all the evil in this world and in his infinite mercy has defeated it. He has uprooted the diabolical pride that poisons the human heart and wreaks violence and corruption on every side. The Lamb of God is victorious! That is why, today, we can joyfully cry out: ‘Christ, my hope, has risen!’”
Amen and amen!"
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* For full text, see: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263499/full-text-of-pope-francis-urbi-et-orbi-blessing-for-easter-2025
# Sept 13, 2023, “Faith and the Most
Real”
Very helpful! Thanks, Rod. Sharyn Dowd
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