Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

Our 1st reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews gives us a  comforting metaphor this morning: Our hope in God is like an anchor for our soul, sure and firm.

If you have ever been on a river and used an anchor to secure your boat, you very quickly realize how strong the current is. Before throwing out the anchor, you and the boat are coexisting with the current, unaware of its power. If you are far from shore, you can miss the visual cues of its affects pulling you downstream. Resisting the current with the anchor changes all that and you soon wish you were out of the main channel and resting peacefully in the back waters.
 
Our busy lives can leave us feeling like the boat in the river trying to resist the rivers current. God’s anchor is always available for us to hold onto but it’s much more difficult if we spend too much time in the mainstream, constantly being worn down by distractions as they go by.
Taking a break from the mainstream with time in prayer or study can certainly help us find peace but at the end of Mass we are we are called to “Go forth” or to “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord with your life.”
 
How do we maintain our focus as we step back into the mainstream and resist a current that seems to get stronger every day?
 
As it turns out, St. Paul’s message to the Hebrews is just as relevant for us today. We are “strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us”…that is, our hope of one day sharing in God’s glory, entering into his rest and experiencing eternal life.
 
As we come together in the Eucharist this morning, let us ask God to strengthen our faith and renew our hope in His plan for our lives.