LET’S try our best to be men and women of hope, of real, great and abiding hope, which means that we have a clear vision of our ultimate goal in life and are confident that with God’s grace and our effort we can reach it. Let’s beam with hope and not just keep it inside, if only to give our present troubled world some real glow.
We should try to avoid being tied down by the here and now, though what we have in the here and now is always important and crucial in our journey of hope in life. Yes, we have to be immersed in the things of this world, but clearly knowing that these things are only means, materials, occasions and instruments to reach our goal. We should not allow ourselves to be swallowed up by them.
To be hopeful and mindful of our ultimate end should not diminish the seriousness we have to put into our daily duties and responsibilities. We should not say that just because we are meant for heaven, for a supernatural destination, we can take it easy in our temporal affairs.
Let’s remember what Christ wanted us to learn from his parable of talents. (cfr. Mt 25, 14-30) We are meant to be fruitful and productive out of the many blessings and endowments God has given us. How we fare in our earthly life somehow determines whether we are truly progressing or not in our journey towards our definitive home in heaven.
So it’s wrong to say that just because we are meant for heaven, we should not be very serious in our business or politics or in whatever field of human endeavor. If our temporal duty is about making money, for example, for the glory of God, then we should not shy away from making as much money as possible.
Let us strengthen this hope everyday, trusting always in the assured promises of Christ especially when we are sharply tested in life. We cannot deny that the drama in our life can be such that, if not handled properly, can undermine our faith and hope. How many people have been confused and lost in that way?
That is why we need to spend time meditating on the word of God and on the life of Christ so we don’t get distracted from what is truly our path to follow and so that our faith and hope grow stronger everyday. When there is true hope, we can manage to be at peace and in joy no matter what situation we may find ourselves in. We would just be game with everything.
Meditating on God’s word and on Christ’s life will surely teach us what to do to equip ourselves properly for our real pursuit in life. We have to develop the virtues, we have to learn to have recourse to spiritual and supernatural means, like praying, making sacrifices, learning how to do ascetical struggle, availing of the sacraments, etc.
We have to learn how to be both serious and not too serious, knowing that in this life, no matter how much we try, there will always be surprises, disappointments, setbacks, failures, etc. There are things that are simply beyond our control. And so we have to learn how to accept them with a good sense of humor.
God is always in full control of things, no matter how we and the devil mess up things. Even in our worst predicament, he can always derive something good. As long as we are at least open to his will, even if we don’t fully get it or understand it, there is always hope, because he is a Father to us who will always take care of us, especially in our weak and bad moments.
Let’s just try our best that with all the benefits of hope, we do God’s will as fully, faithfully and lovingly as possible./PN
