Do you know the answer? It is this - a Top Ten list. In the first letter of Peter, we hear the remarkable statement: "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks reasons for this hope of yours..." And so, I thought I would list my top ten reasons for hope - in hopes that it may trigger in you, your own reasons for hoping and trusting in this world of ours...

10) The consolations of history. Despite our best efforts, somehow the church has muddled through crisis and ineffective leaders and political crisis and turmoil. As has human kind weathered its own share of Hitler's and Nero's and Ghengis Khan's. In the world, that is called the consolation of History. In the church, that is called the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the promised Paraclete of today's gospel. By either name, it gives my heart a lot to hope in, especially these days.

9) The ability to weep and cry over the tragic and the sorrowful. As long as a mother is still able to grieve over the loss of a child, as long as friends still weep over the tombs of their friends, as long a sorrow finds a home in the human heart, then I have reason to hope. Because it means that we have not lost our souls. Nor have we lost the vision of how precious the gift of life is...

8) The human gift and ability to laugh. There is nothing like a bit of humor to lighten the heart and strengthen the soul. Whether it is a stupid joke or a faux pas, laughter affirms the truth that the Hebrews knew in the book of Genesis: "And God saw that it was good..." To laugh and to laugh often betrays a belief that this world is in the hands of a savior, that death has no power, and that life is worth the living.

7) Guilt. Not shame, but guilt. And there is a difference. Shame is not a good thing. Shame tells me that I am bad. Guilt, on the other hand, lets me know that a course of action I took is bad. Not me, but the choice. As long as people are able to feel the guilt of their actions, then conscience still reigns. As long as we allow ourselves to enter into the experience of guilt and let it teach us what we need to know about our actions, then I have great hope for the world.

6) Music (with the possible exception of rap music...) Be it a Beethoven symphony or the latest song from the Psychedelic Furs or Ludicrous, the power of music to move the heart and feed the soul is ever a source of hope for me. In fact, a barometer or how well I am doing and how in touch I am with myself is whether or not there is a tune in my head at any given moment. Music gives me hope.

5) John Harry's laughter. John Harry is a friend of mine's son. And for as long as I've known him, I can get him giggling and hiding in his dad's arms as I play peek-a-boo behind him. To hear John Harry lost in this laughter is to know the very happiness of God.

4) Jennifer Vincent's questions. Jennifer is a young woman who has attended our RCIA classes for the past year. And she never runs out of questions - but questions that come from a mind that is very insightful and very open to finding the truth and following the truth. As long as there are people like Jennifer to keep asking the hard questions, whether it is about faith or politics or the state of the world, then I have great hope for us.

3) The experience of beauty. Be it a sunset, a wonderfully crafted painting or sculpture; the frail simplicity of a flower, or the majesty of the mountains rising above the plains, the experience of beauty calls me to trust in the creator of such beauty.

2) The human genome. How science continues to unravel the complex mystery of our genetic makeup, I marvel more and more at the creator. How moving one section of one part of the genome creates the possibility of cures. How interconnected it all is. How stunningly beautiful in it's complexity. It is what the psalmist knew so long ago - genetic proof that we are 'fearfully, wonderfully made.

1) You all. Your willingness to be here on a Sunday evening, the courage you make in your choices to follow God's call, the service you do, the energy you bring to the Newman Community and the larger world - as a sure sign of hope and encouragement for me.

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks reasons for this hope of yours...