You may recall that a scribe once asked Jesus, of all the commandments, which was the greatest. Jesus replied: “The first is: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30–31) This is the greatest goal and meaning of our lives. In fact, at the Final Judgment, we will be judged according to the standard of “love”. Therefore, we should strive to increase our capacity to love and make that the primary goal of our lives.
Hopefully, through this retreat, we have come to realize that aside from God Himself, what we most need is sufficient hope to fuel our love! Love is not just a fleeting impulse; it requires time, patience, sacrifice, and perseverance. It is not something that a person without hope can achieve. Thus, to fulfill the meaning of life by loving God and others, we must become people of hope. Hope plays a vital role in this mission.
Our "hope index" is influenced by many internal and external factors, especially in today’s unpredictable world, where the external environment can easily affect our emotions and are difficult for us to control. When our understanding, perspectives, attitudes, and worldview are skewed, we are easily led into disappointment, or even despair.
This is precisely why God has given us the theological virtue of hope: to guide and protect us in our lives. The foundation of our faith helps align our vision and will with God's, giving us the right worldview and values to face life’s trials and challenges. When faced with challenges in life, we realize how small and limited we are, and know that we need to rely on a power beyond ourselves to overcome these challenges. Unfortunately, many people rely on earthly wealth, power, and status, mistakenly believing they can control everything. But this is an illusion, a trap set by the devil to lead us to destruction. For Christians, our reliance must be on God. Our trust lies in a real, personal relationship with God and in His promises. This is the foundation and source of our hope.
To strengthen our hope, we must understand the kind of relationship God desires with us and what our identity is. Jesus said He no longer calls us servants, but friends. And He entrusted us with the mission of continuing His work on earth. God wants us to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, cooperate with Him, aligning ourselves with the Father’s plan and participate in His work of salvation. As God once said to St. Catherine of Siena: “I created you without your help, but I will not save you without it.” This shows that God desires and needs our participation in His work of salvation. He needs us to respond, to accept His love and salvation, and to spread this gift of salvation, freely given us, so that more people may attain eternal life.
God invites us to return His love by becoming channels of His love in the world, to spread His love like He did, without any conditions or expectation of return, with the same selfless spirit. Unfortunately, most people respond with indifference, rejecting His love and refusing to share this saving love with others.
Since the light of Christ entered the world, God’s will is for us Christians to spread this light throughout the world. Unfortunately, our hardened hearts make us unresponsive to Him, causing Him grief. In the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verse 15, God says: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot.” We can feel God’s anger, which He continues to express in verse 16: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” This sadly reflects the current state of many Christians. It could be said that in our generation, Christ’s light is perhaps at its dimmest. Our supposedly strong "faith" has been destroyed by worldliness and the devil, and the "hope" of Christians is about to be extinguished! Christian hope is meant to be the pillar of hope for the world. But this pillar is about to collapse. Can we afford to delay our response to God any longer? How much longer must God endure this faithless and hopeless generation? The Gospel of John, also written by John the Evangelist, says this in chapter 3, verse 16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God loves us this deeply, yet we treat Him with such indifference. Is this the attitude we should have? Can we bear to make God wait in pain any longer?
As the Book of James, chapter 2, verse 17 says: “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” The same is true for hope. Hope is a choice. It is not passive. It calls for response and action. Christian hope without action brings no real hope to life; it becomes a self-deceiving illusion! Since the object of our hope is the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life, we must live in the Kingdom now and move toward eternal life. We know that the Kingdom is Jesus, and He is the Word, the Word of God.
As the Mother of Hope, Our Lady responded quickly to God’s call because she cherished the Word, keeping it in her heart and pondering it deeply. We must also treasure the Word of God, listening attentively to it in prayer, and building an unbreakable relationship of trust with Him.
This trust helps us submit to God’s will. If we rely not on our own strength, but on the guidance and grace of the Holy Spirit, our "hope index" will be less susceptible to external circumstances, and we will be more capable of becoming bearers of hope.
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 44 to 46, Jesus uses two parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44–46)
Finally, our trust in Jesus should lead us to believe that the Kingdom of Heaven is more precious than anything else in the world! So what is still holding us back from making the decision to be like those two characters in the parables, selling everything that is less important to obtain the treasure of the Kingdom?
God’s radical love requires our radical response. If we admit that nothing in this world compares to God and that He is the source of all hope, we should not waste time or lose the big picture, because the opportunity to respond may be gone at any time!
Jesus said to those who were half-hearted and unwilling to make up their minds to follow Him “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) Let us not be the one who disappoints God!
Today’s Prayer
Abba Father, I sincerely thank and praise You for giving me the precious opportunity of this forty-day retreat, allowing me to better understand Your will for me, and to know that nothing can stop Your radical, selfless love for me!
The sacrifice You made for me through Jesus once left me in awe. But my selfishness hindered my determination to respond to You, and prevented Your great love from flowing through me. Thank You for awakening me, and helping me understand how deeply You desire my participation in Your salvation plan. I am willing to respond to Jesus’ call and submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I long to see the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in me. I desire to l...