It’s the Great Pumpkin
While spring is considered the season of hope, with its passage into new life and the season of summer, fall can also be considered in the same manner with its passage into winter. Autumn brings with it a reminder of the passing of time and the journey that we are all on. In many parts of our nation, a beautiful array of colored leaves and brisker weather remind us of the goodness of life as it passes before us. It reminds us that, as time moves ahead, ultimately death will arrive.
However, for us, as believers, death is a movement into the fullness of life where every tear and sorrow will be wiped away. Depending on how we view life, death can be an occasion, not which we dread but for which we hope, with its promise of new life with God and those who have gone before us. We will be united in the life of God, which is love. Indeed, in this sense, death as a hope is much in keeping with the theme of this Year of Hope as we travel together on our pilgrimage of life. It is only a finality for those without hope. Certainly, hope assures us that death will not disappoint.
As we just celebrated the passing of life for all the saints and souls, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, emphasized so well death as hope in his homily on All Souls’ Day. Here he explained, “Our Christian faith, founded upon Christ’s Paschal Mystery, helps us to experience our memories as much more than just a recollection of the past, but also, and above all, as hope for the future. It is not so much about looking back, but instead of looking forward to the goal of our journey, to the safe harbor that God has promised us towards the unending feast which awaits us. There, around the Risen Lord, and our loved ones, we hope to savor the joy of the eternal banquet.”
Pope Leo has spoken frequently about the lack of meaning in life which is so much experienced today. He is keenly aware of the emptiness that so many people go through, and especially young people who sometimes yield to suicide because of that emptiness. He has stressed that, without faith, life indeed loses its meaning, and we fall into despair no matter how much we may possess. In his homily for All Saints’ Day, Pope Leo expressed, “Christ’s Resurrection can heal one of the malaises of our time: sadness. Intrusive and widespread, sadness accompanies the days of many people. It is a feeling of precariousness, at times profound desperation, which leaves one’s inner space and seems to prevail over any impetus to joy.” It is so appropriate that Pope Leo asked that his November prayer intention from the faithful be for the prevention of suicide and those living in darkness and despair. The imminent hope of November is nothing else than eternal life, which will not disappoint.
Both Pope Leo and Pope Francis have emphasized how hope is not simply optimism. While optimism and a positive outlook are very good qualities which add to the joy of life, in themselves they are not hope. Hope is based on a conviction that what is hoped for will truly come about. For us, as believers in God, true hope and what He promised will always come about. That is why St. Paul tells us always to “rejoice in hope” (Rom 12:12).
Many of us are familiar with the famous classic of Charles Schulz, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. This epic of 1966 is generally shown during the fall season. As an aside, it very likely that Pope Leo, as a young boy growing up in Chicago, would have watched the Great Pumpkin with his brothers on a black and white TV. Linus, one of Charlie Brown’s friends, has a great hope that a pumpkin will appear on Halloween and bring joy to young children. Everyone mocks him and makes fun of him for this hope, but he will not yield. In the cartoon, the pumpkin does not appear, but Linus will not give up his belief in it. We know that Linus’ hope will always be disappointed. However, the message behind Linus’ obsession with the Great Pumpkin serves as a symbol for innocence, perseverance and staying true to oneself. They represent the qualities of true hope. Our hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and of the fullness of life after death is not the same as the hope of Linus in the Great Pumpkin. However, the spirit of Linus must pervade our true hope, which will not disappoint and in which we rejoice.
Hope is what November is all about. As we continue on our journey during this Year of Hope, may we never lose sight of what the true meaning of life is based upon, and that is our faith in the Resurrection of Christ. May we live that reality each and every day in each and every season. May that certain hope banish the uncertainty that exists in our world and bring true joy to all.
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
