Saved in Hope

[Lee_Aaronaldo]

Peace be with you all, I hope that I am in the correct platform for this title.

I just back from the bible study for the Youth and Young Adults Ministry at my church. So we had good discussion about,‘Saved in Hope’. You are right, that was the topic for the bible study which is based on Pope Benedict XVI’s Encyclical Spe Salvi. As we took turn to read each paragraph, I found hard to digest one of the paragraphs. It goes like as below:

Hoping in God requires one to first have faith. The chances of hoping in something which you know won’t possibly come true has a lesser effect versus hoping in something which you really believe in.

My interpretation of the above paragraph is like this. A boy hopes to get taller. He hopes that by growing taller, he can attract beautiful girls. But there is a greater hope that planned by God. He just could not see it. Let say his hope of getting taller is being materialized, he still will feel emptiness on him. This is because his hope is not following God’s will. Am I right? Can anyone explain to me? I look forward to your explanation.

 

[antoniont1]

Hi there

The way I look at it… (not sure if I have understood completely)

Scenario 1
Child A hopes he can go to Disneyland.
Parents promise child to go to Disneyland together during summer holidays.

Scenario 2
Child B hopes he can go to Disneyland.
Parents both have to work and only said “we may bring you to Disneyland if we have time”.

The children in both scenarios both believe in their parents, but child A is more likely to behave in a way that shows his belief in his parents - he may be researching about what games to play there. Child B may still have the faith in his parents but probably not have the same hope to go to Disneyland.

I’m really not sure if this is fully compatible, but I hope it helps!

Antonio

 

[adv1sor]

My interpretation of the above paragraph is like this. A boy hopes to get taller. He hopes that by growing taller, he can attract beautiful girls. But there is a greater hope that planned by God. He just could not see it. Let say his hope of getting taller is being materialized, he still will feel emptiness on him. This is because his hope is not following God’s will. Am I right? Can anyone explain to me? I look forward to your explanation.

I am no expert Lee but I think it’s more like this. The boy might wish to grow taller, but what reason would he have to place any faith at all in this hope? On the other hand, we need only look around at all creation and then at the cross to see the reason for our hope, and therefore our faith, in God.

 

[spiritualunity]

Perhaps this thread would be best if under Moral Theology?

Hope is in God is not the same as hope in someone or something in this world. In this world we are more like…I hope, I hope I hope I get this, whereas hope in God is more like a certain hope… because God said so we can trust Him.period.

Your example of boy wanting to be taller to met girls is based on his will and his desires. God put in us desires to meet opposite sex,that is natural. BUT if we desired this without first desiring God’s will to be done, then it is misguided hope. Therefore,in time this boy will feel empty. Maybe his excitement of having girlfriend,even wife keeps his thoughts away from God to a point where he does not allow himself to know the truth of what he did. But sooner or later he will realize he put himself before God,and most likely through emptiness and day to day life…as the “majic” goes away of having what he thought he wanted. Then he turns to God in repentance and sorrow and puts God first.

When humans act sinful it is because we are wanting happiness and pleasure but it is distorted by our human nature prone to sin. Once we get what we think we want through sinning,it is like gravel in our mouths. Because it is not based in God will for us.It is diordered.

We humans so often will deny,justify,blame,anything but take responsibility for our sins.THis is one reason the Sacrement of confession is so good for us. We must face ourselves as we face Jesus. Then He cleanses us of our sins and we are to sin no more. Nothing lifts one up so much from darkness of guilt from our sins as God’s certain forgiveness.
So, confession we have hope. It is CERTAIN HOPE because God told us in the Bible and Chuch that whatever sins we have committed He will forgive through the priests he appointed from the time of the Apostles.
We are fortunate we do not have to have human hope when it comes to our sins and forgiveness. I for one would not like to hope hope hope I am forgiven. I want to know for sure I am and I can know this because Jesus said so. I can trust HIm. This is my hope.