The Phone Call

       Have you ever received a phone call at 3 a.m.?  You feel your heart racing and your breath quicken, knowing that news at this hour is almost never the good kind.  Groggily, you try to clear your head and take an extra ring to look at the Caller ID and brace yourself for whatever you are going to hear.  It is not a question of “if” but “when” each of us will receive such a phone call.  The pressing questions that do remain are: how do we live in anticipation of such inevitable events, and how do we respond when they interrupt our lives?

       Having lived a significant distance from my family for a decade, I have learned that some of my most tragic news will come to me over the phone.  For a time, I found myself dreading what I termed “the phone call.”  I remember my sophomore year at Notre Dame when my father left me a voicemail that consisted simply of “Daniel, call me.”  The problem and source of my anxiety was, however, that I could tell from his voice that he had been crying.  Thinking of the worst possible scenarios and with hands wavering, I returned his call.  You can imagine my slight relief when he told me that our family dog had died.  Now, please do not misunderstand me. “Lucky” was a great dog.  But considering I thought my mother or one of my siblings had passed away, I was really thankful.  I also gave my dad some instructions to at least let me know a bit more information the next time he left me a message like that!

       Whether our loved ones are next door or halfway around the world, there is no escaping the suffering that is part of our lot in this life.  Our choice is to respond with either fear or hope.  Fear leaves us debilitated in the face of unavoidable suffering and already depleted when the hardship arrives.  It robs us of our confidence in God, who promises companionship during hard times and who has, through the death of Jesus, experienced suffering in a very real way.  We must instead strive to remain people of hope.

       Of course, this hope does not come from self-confidence, temporal power, monetary wealth, government programs, or even from our loving families.  The source of our hope, as Catholic Christians, comes from a single, everlasting source: the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  After all, why else are we practicing our faith in the first place?  There are lots of other places where we could find community, education, and social activities.  Going to church regularly and taking part in the sacraments is not even the societal or cultural expectation it once was.  We come, at the very foundation of things, because of our hope in the Resurrection.  By following the Lord in this life, we follow him to the glory of eternal happiness.  So no matter when “the phone call” arrives or what news it brings, remember one thing: nothing can take away our hope.