by Jim Beckman, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been blessed by a song I heard a while back titled, “I Have This Hope.” The lyrics to the chorus go like this: “I have this hope, in the depth of my soul; In the flood or the fire you are with me and you won't let go.” Those words have echoed in my heart day after day in a way that has been refreshing. It’s a striking contrast to what I hear on the evening news or read on my phone as a scroll through various news feeds.
We are living in times when many people find it difficult to hope. One of the most troubling things during this pandemic has been the startling rise in struggles with depression and anxiety, and the alarming increase in suicide attempts. It seems many have actually lost hope. For us as Christians and Catholics, though, how should things be different? What is the source of our hope? When everything around us seems to be falling apart, how do we hold on to hope?
Paul exhorts us, “For in this hope we were saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But, if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25).
And, in Hebrews, Paul says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). So, our hope is not rooted in what we can see, which is why it is possible to be hopeful, even filled with hope, despite the dismal circumstances that can be going on around us at times. Yet, our hope is inspired, even “infused” you could say, by what we have seen, meaning in the past. One articulation of this that may help with clarity is to understand hope as one of the three theological virtues: faith, hope and love. These three can be connected most closely to the different persons of the Trinity: Hope with the Father, Faith with the person of Jesus, and Love with the person of the Holy Spirit.
And these three also can be connected most closely to the three basic “capacities” that are in us as human beings: memory, intellect and will. The connections would look like this:
The Father – HOPE – Memory The Son – FAITH – Intellect The Holy Spirit – LOVE – Will
Our hope is ultimately informed and inspired by our “memory” – what we have seen God do throughout all history, how he has unfolded the great story of salvation history over time, and how he has saved us from the scourge of sin, and even from ourselves. See how the scriptures capture this: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
The more we read the Scriptures and learn what God has done all throughout history, the more our memory is filled with his acts, which inspires hope. And, ultimately it is the reality of the supreme event of the resurrection in that salvation story that inspires hope most of all: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3).
Not even death could hold Jesus down! And, that fundamental truth is what allows us to be rooted in hope, even in the midst of a global pandemic, and even with the risk of the end of our own life. Ultimately, we are not living for this world, not living for the here and now, but are living for the life that is to come, for all eternity with the Trinity in heaven. This is the hope that inspires and guides the life of all disciples.
“The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparingwith the glory that is to be revealed to us”(Romans 8:18). And, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen”(2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
The source of our hope is God himself, a God who simply loves us and never stops seeking us. God is overflowing with goodness and kindness and despite what the world tells us, wants to take care of his people. Scripture is abundantly clear – God will never abandon those he has called to enter into relationship with him: “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31:8). “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may also be” (John 14:1-2).
These are promises on which we can stake our faith, and that is what gives us confidence to be hopeful no matter what our circumstances are. A promise is a dynamic reality that opens new vistas for us. It looks toward the future with great hope, but it is rooted in our relationship with God who speaks to us here and now, and who calls us to make specific choices in our life each and every day. Those choices, rooted in hope, are going to look and feel different as we live our lives as disciples.
So, be filled with hope, despite our circumstances! Live in a way that demonstrates your hope, and “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (I Peter 3:15).