Hope in God and the success of our work

Christianity, therefore, builds in the true sense of the word.
«The world of the future. It is briefly expressed in the words:
I believe in the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, and eternal life. However, the future may be far or near in time, at the end of the ages, or even in time. The realization of the Christian ideal appears to theologians who are embarking on conjectures from a different perspective. Some have in mind the gradual growth of mustard seed (Mt 13:31) into the Church; until it grows abruptly and gradually, it becomes a tree, and the whole earth shall be in its shadow. Others mean earlier a forerunner of the Old Testament and the Savior’s earthly life. The realization of the old promises is preceded by the ruins of the temple in Jerusalem; the bright resurrection of Christ is the opposite of Calvary’s seeming hopelessness, but we should not expect too much improvement here on earth; rather, there are catastrophic disappointments that certify faithfulness. There is no choice but to abandon speculation about the future. Nowadays, however, one feature of Christian hope makes sense: a firm conviction about the effectiveness of human endeavor and our normal means of Christian life in achieving the goal. Everyone agrees that our hope should be based only on God. However, it is reluctant to draw from these truths immediate, hasty conclusions for practical life. Easy, cheap surface sighs, such as “Only God Himself will help us out of this difficult situation!” ” Virgo Mary will set us free! » As they sound, these exclamation points are undoubtedly pious. However, when we look at the person speaking, they are easily tempted to respond in a way that looks very ungodly. After In one such sermon, one of the listeners said, “Neither the Lord God nor the Virgin Mary will place us to wash the floor of the church when it is dirty. We have to do something ourselves! » We know that it is not an easy theological question of God’s activity and human cooperation. In practice, however, we must follow the council of St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Pray as if everything depended on God, but work as if everything was up to you!” The closest connection between God’s and human activity is manifested in the sacraments. We know only God himself can forgive sins. And yet we kneel to the confessor and ask for absolution from the priest. Firmly we trust that God works in priestly words and that they are effective for God’s action to take place. But God works in every good deed, though not in such an infallible way as in the sacraments. Therefore, we believe and must hope that they are effective, that they make sense for both of them, and that it is not in vain. They are all like solid stone in building the ideals of the kingdom of God. This firm hope in life, in the sense of earthly wandering, must be emphasized especially today, when people so easily stop believing that it makes sense to live.
Circumstances in which our needs need to be strengthened
1. In the pursuit of perfection. To the novices of religious societies, young theologians often seem like holiness was at hand. The first enthusiasm is like a good wind in of sails. But then comes the thunder, the storm, the storm that drives back. And yet everyone is called to perfection (cf. Mt 5:48).
2. In prayer. Prayer becomes effective not by the number of words, but by trust. If you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this hill, “Get out of here, ta!”—Pass. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matt. 17:20). However, this trust seems difficult. Holy Gregor of Nazianzus asks whether we should make any promise to God if we really want to pray for something. He believes such a promise is good. It is not because God gives as if softened by a promised gift; that would be ridiculous. However, we ourselves feel more confident when we promise something to God; we have a stronger hope that we will achieve what we ask for. Every strengthening of hope then benefits prayer.
3. In circumstances where we are overwhelmed by carelessness, we may find it difficult to maintain our hope.
Hebrews (6, 19) likens hope to an anchor. For the sailors of the old light boats, the anchor was the last security when the waves swept the boat too much. Meaning that image is obvious. There are times when man’s strength is only in hope, which he cannot even utter aloud (In silentio et spe fortitudo mea, writes Balvín after the White Mountain). God purifies our hope by committing disappointments, failures, and states of emotional hopelessness. For mystics, these conditions are manifested by excruciating pain. According to St. John, crosses are mental depressions often caused by God’s light penetrating into the soul, which is not yet perfectly cleansed. However, these states give a heroic opportunity to trust in the one God.
4. In temptations, when we are afraid of succumbing.
A modern doctor and psychologist who lectures in Rome addresses the issue of bad habits in the area of the sixth commandment. He concluded that they were incurable only until the “patient” himself believes that he can avoid sin, as he says, “I would like to, but …” Certainty is the best support while walking the rope. In moral life, we have this certainty God wants to give, even as we remain aware of our weakness. “But let’s stop,” writes Mons. Gray, «To compute to God a long monotonous series of our unworthiness, misery only to justify ourselves to ourselves the restlessness and insecurity we carry within us. “God sometimes strengthens our hope in a special way. It already provides us certain signs of its favor here on earth. We generally call them consolations. There will come moments when all uncertainty disappears, when each of us is willing to die because he sees the sky open to him. Some saints also had a special vision in which Christ the Lord assured them of his love. No one should despise such special gifts of God because they are special reinforcement. Even the three apostles received these visions on the hill of Tabor to better prepare them for the test of reception. On the contrary, all teachers of spiritual life warn against looking for accounts, and even more against desiring visions and revelations. Christian hope looks to the future, to something it still expects of God. He who looks for consolation wants to enjoy the present. To some extent, it is as if throwing away what makes Christian hope so rare, i.e. full confidence in God and in uncertainty.