THIS is a crucial virtue to have.
Given our condition of
pilgrim here on earth, we should make sure that we are always on the
move toward our ultimate, spiritual and supernatural goal.
We should not get distracted or entangled by our earthly
affairs, whether good or bad, for as the Letter to Hebrews would put
it: “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the
city which is to come.” (13,14) Thus, we have to strengthen our hope
always.
Hope is first of all not just a virtue that we produce,
cultivate or keep ourselves. It is first of all a gift of God, given
to us in abundance. It is the gift of Christ himself who, by the Holy
Spirit, is made present in us through his words, his sacraments, his
Church. All we have to do is to correspond to this wonderful reality
as vigorously as possible.
That is why we need to be most mindful of the truths of
our faith, giving time to meditate on them and to make them sink in
our very consciousness. We have to be wary of our tendency to be
carried away by our earthly concerns, no matter how legitimate they
are. For again, as the gospel would say, “For what shall it profit a
man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk
8,36)
It’s important that just like in that management style
called MBO (Management by objective), we have to have a clear vision
of our ultimate goal and make it the strongest desire of our life, so
that we don’t get entangled with the ups and downs and the drama of
life.
This, of course, will require some significant effort,
because especially nowadays people are getting too hooked in their
earthly, temporal affairs. Some of them who are considered more in the
successful side, get too immersed in them that they forget their
spiritual and supernatural goal. Others, who are more in the losing
side, eventually fall into discouragement and despair. They end up
finding no meaning in life.
For example, we now have many young people, the so-called
successful millennials, who paint themselves as innovators, tech
savvy, rising business titans, etc., but who miserably fail in their
spiritual and moral life. They can cover their failings, but for sure,
only for a while. The true character will show sooner or later.
With this gift and virtue of hope, we are always given a
sense of direction. Our goal is made clear. All the means are made
available. Every event, whether humanly good or bad, always has a
meaning and can be made use of to attain our eternal goal.
While it’s true that we are completely responsible for our
life, we should not forget that life has more things to give us than
what we can handle. Hope gives us that impetus to let things be and
let go of certain things, abandoning ourselves in the hands of God who
is in control of everything, just like Christ abandoned himself to the
will of his Father and submitted himself to his own death on the
cross.
Hope gives one the conviction that God has the last word,
goodness has the last say. It reassures everyone that it is all
worthwhile to suffer a little or a lot in life as long as one does not
lose sight of his eternal goal.
Hope gives one a deep sense of peace and joy, and an
abiding sense of confidence, regardless of how things play out in
one’s life, since life always has more to offer than what we can
expect or handle.
Yes, indeed! And they come in all shapes and sizes,
likeable and hateful. There are pleasant surprises and moments of
horrible frustrations.
Life can’t be restricted simply by our senses and
preferences, nor by our knowledge and wisdom. It gives us a lot more.
There are things that simply are beyond our control. We have to learn
to face life as it unravels by itself.
When we seem to be overwhelmed by trials, challenges,
tasks, pressures that can come anytime anywhere, I believe the
attitude to have and the reaction to make is to be calm, pray hard,
and while we do all we can, we have to learn to live a certain sense
of abandonment in the hands of God.
In those situations, I believe we just have to allow
ourselves to play in God’s game plan, in his abiding providence whose
designs are beyond reckoning, and are always effective. This is what
hope is all about!
pilgrim here on earth, we should make sure that we are always on the
move toward our ultimate, spiritual and supernatural goal.
We should not get distracted or entangled by our earthly
affairs, whether good or bad, for as the Letter to Hebrews would put
it: “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the
city which is to come.” (13,14) Thus, we have to strengthen our hope
always.
Hope is first of all not just a virtue that we produce,
cultivate or keep ourselves. It is first of all a gift of God, given
to us in abundance. It is the gift of Christ himself who, by the Holy
Spirit, is made present in us through his words, his sacraments, his
Church. All we have to do is to correspond to this wonderful reality
as vigorously as possible.
That is why we need to be most mindful of the truths of
our faith, giving time to meditate on them and to make them sink in
our very consciousness. We have to be wary of our tendency to be
carried away by our earthly concerns, no matter how legitimate they
are. For again, as the gospel would say, “For what shall it profit a
man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk
8,36)
It’s important that just like in that management style
called MBO (Management by objective), we have to have a clear vision
of our ultimate goal and make it the strongest desire of our life, so
that we don’t get entangled with the ups and downs and the drama of
life.
This, of course, will require some significant effort,
because especially nowadays people are getting too hooked in their
earthly, temporal affairs. Some of them who are considered more in the
successful side, get too immersed in them that they forget their
spiritual and supernatural goal. Others, who are more in the losing
side, eventually fall into discouragement and despair. They end up
finding no meaning in life.
For example, we now have many young people, the so-called
successful millennials, who paint themselves as innovators, tech
savvy, rising business titans, etc., but who miserably fail in their
spiritual and moral life. They can cover their failings, but for sure,
only for a while. The true character will show sooner or later.
With this gift and virtue of hope, we are always given a
sense of direction. Our goal is made clear. All the means are made
available. Every event, whether humanly good or bad, always has a
meaning and can be made use of to attain our eternal goal.
While it’s true that we are completely responsible for our
life, we should not forget that life has more things to give us than
what we can handle. Hope gives us that impetus to let things be and
let go of certain things, abandoning ourselves in the hands of God who
is in control of everything, just like Christ abandoned himself to the
will of his Father and submitted himself to his own death on the
cross.
Hope gives one the conviction that God has the last word,
goodness has the last say. It reassures everyone that it is all
worthwhile to suffer a little or a lot in life as long as one does not
lose sight of his eternal goal.
Hope gives one a deep sense of peace and joy, and an
abiding sense of confidence, regardless of how things play out in
one’s life, since life always has more to offer than what we can
expect or handle.
Yes, indeed! And they come in all shapes and sizes,
likeable and hateful. There are pleasant surprises and moments of
horrible frustrations.
Life can’t be restricted simply by our senses and
preferences, nor by our knowledge and wisdom. It gives us a lot more.
There are things that simply are beyond our control. We have to learn
to face life as it unravels by itself.
When we seem to be overwhelmed by trials, challenges,
tasks, pressures that can come anytime anywhere, I believe the
attitude to have and the reaction to make is to be calm, pray hard,
and while we do all we can, we have to learn to live a certain sense
of abandonment in the hands of God.
In those situations, I believe we just have to allow
ourselves to play in God’s game plan, in his abiding providence whose
designs are beyond reckoning, and are always effective. This is what
hope is all about!
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