Hope is when what we’re waiting for hasn’t yet arrived, but it already exists. It helps us avoid getting caught up in the now. It encourages us to look forward, because the worst thing we can do is look back, as if what’s already happened were more important.
Don’t be distracted by the past or the present. The world screams for you to look back, to trust in what seems beautiful, but doesn’t last. But keep your eyes on what God promised, even if you don’t see it yet. He will fulfill it; He always does!
God allows the good things in this life to have bitter moments so that we do not settle for a happiness that is not true, and seek the one that only He can give, the one that does not deceive or end.
The world uses these difficulties to discourage you, to make you stop looking forward and give up. Sometimes you complain and say, “Look how bad things are!” But who promised you that everything here would be perfect? God didn’t promise that this world wouldn’t fall apart. What He promised is eternal. If you trust in Him, you will pass from being mortal to eternal.
So why all the fuss? Why let the noise of the world distract you? The world wants to trap you with things that don’t last. And if it can already deceive you by being bitter, imagine if it were sweet!
But keep hope alive: no matter what happens, always praise God. Whether everything goes well or everything falls apart, praise God. Don’t be one of those who only bless him when everything is going well and complain when something goes wrong. That’s looking back; don’t fall into that trap! As Job said: “The Lord gave me, the Lord has taken away; blessed be his name.” That is the attitude of someone who truly trusts.
Even if your city disappears, there is another that will never fall: the city God is building. Do you think God will lose what He Himself built? Of course not! God never sleeps; He always cares for His people. And if you belong to Christ, then you too are part of that promise. In Him, all peoples will be blessed.
The holy city, the community of believers, although living on earth, has its foundation in heaven. So, take heart! Don’t lose hope or love. Stand firm, with your light burning, waiting for the Lord like someone waiting for someone returning from a party.
Are you afraid that the kingdoms of this world will crumble? That’s precisely why God promised you an eternal kingdom, so that you won’t be overwhelmed by what’s passing away. Jesus already said: “There will be wars, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.” All of that will pass away. But one kingdom will never end: God’s kingdom.
Those who promised that their empires would last forever weren’t telling the truth. But let us not be discouraged: let us place our hope in God, let us desire the eternal, let us hope for what never ends. We are Christians!
Christ didn’t come into the world for comfort or pleasure, and neither should we live for that alone. Good things can be deceptive, and bad things cause us to stumble. Even when everything seems calm, don’t get complacent: a storm may come.
When you say “Lift up your hearts” at Mass, don’t take it lightly. Why continue to place your heart on earth when we see everything here crumbling? It’s a clear reason to defend your faith: don’t let anyone make you doubt with mockery or criticism. Those who mock Christ for what’s happening in the world want to shatter your hope. Let us place our hope in Jesus, where we will be safe.
Those who only seek material things and place their hope in them, when they lose them… are left with empty hands and an even emptier heart. Where will they find peace? And hope? Therefore, I invite you: stop cursing, learn to worship. May Christ transform us, make us part of his body. We train here on earth and we will receive the crown in heaven.
