The author of Hebrews has assured us in this chapter that, through his obedience to the Father and through his offering of himself, Jesus has opened the way for us to enter into the life of God, once and for all. Now he calls us to take courage, to press on through the challenges which confront us, to be faith filled and hopeful and compassionate.
Christians have suffered for their faith from the earliest days. Now, as we are called to keep faith and persevere, to be patient and compassionate, to give a witness of light and love while we wait in the dark, we have a question to ask. How we are to endure the difficulties of this present time? When we are misunderstood, abused, and struggling to live the Christian life in the face of hostility, when it is so difficult to hold on to the confidence that we must not abandon, how shall we persevere in faith?
The answer is given in the surprising picture of the victim of a crime. Why is this poor person so cheerful after his possessions have been stolen from him? He is happy because the loss of his goods helps him to understand that worldly possessions are ephemeral, and that he possesses ‘something better and more lasting.’ This is the key to the confidence we are called to have.
The ‘something better’ is not a thing or an idea. It can be hard to try and hold on to an idea, or to find comfort in our possessions when we face difficulties. It is in more in our nature to seek a some-one rather than some-thing when weneed strength and courage. A little child wants to cling to his parent or care giver when he feels lost or insecure and if his mother is not close, he may have to hold onto something that he associates with her, in order to have something of the beloved person, his special Someone, to cling on to. In this way we learn to have confidence in persons, especially in those who will make sacrifices for our sakes.
We know that in Jesus Christ we have Someone who is ‘better and more lasting’ than anything else because we have been ‘enlightened,’ and we have bathed in the light of Christ from our baptism. We have been given the Light, and the Light is Jesus Christ, Light of the World. The ‘something better,’ then, is this Someone.
The challenge to take courage, to persevere in the Christian life, pressing on confidently to the reward that awaits us, may not be simply a matter of personal endurance. It would be too much of a challenge for many of us to do this using only our own strength. We have been ‘enlightened,’ however, so that we live in the light of Christ. We need to have confidence in him in order to be able to endure whatever comes to us.
We can learn such confidence from a young child. Walking in the wood with my friend and her son of eighteen months we came to a steep and rough drop on what was a rugged footpath. He simply held up his arms and let himself be swept up into hers. Riding high over the rough ground he laughed when the ride became bumpy. We can also lift up our arms and lift up our heads too, trusting that, ‘the One who is coming will come’ to us when we turn to Him.
[Readings: Heb 10:32-39; Mk 4:26-34]
