The Scriptures are full of promises that come from the Lord, promises which apply both to the particular circumstances in which Jesus addressed them, but also promises that are more general, applying to all – in every place and every time. One such promise that I often turn to is found in the tenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, in a section in which Jesus speaks about Himself as the Good Shepherd. Jesus explains that, as the true shepherd, He will lead His sheep to safe pastures where they will be saved – both from those things that could harm them in this life, and from being separated from Him for eternal life. Then He makes this statement / promise: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10)
In paragraph 27 of Spe Salvi,Pope Benedict points to this promise of Jesus as a reason for hope, that by knowing Christ and following Him, He will enable us truly to live. There are two senses to this, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, who considers this life to be the “life of righteousness” that God makes possible to us already in this life, and the life in abundance, that of blessedness in eternal life in Heaven when we leave this body. (Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John: Chapters 1–21, trans. Fabian Larcher and James A. Weisheipl, vol. 2 (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2010), 193.)
As we have considered in the past, the object of the supernatural virtue of hope is the promise of eternal life, but this hope also sheds light on our current life, as our faith promises that through the gift of grace we already begin to share, here and now, in this promise to which our hope is directed. This is the case because through grace, we are in relationship with the Blessed Trinity, a relationship which will be fully fulfilled in Heaven. On this, the Holy Father writes:
Life in its true sense is not something we have exclusively in or from ourselves: it is a relationship. And life in its totality is a relationship with him who is the source of life. If we are in relation with him who does not die, who is Life itself and Love itself, then we are in life. Then we “live”. (SS 27)
I find this to be a consoling reminder that I often need to return to in my life. When I struggle with disappointments and unfulfilled hopes, I can pause and consider the great truth of God’s presence in my life through sanctifying grace. The Lord of the Universe, the Savior, dwells in my very soul. He has risen victorious over sin and death, dispelling the darkness of disappointment and doubt that surrounded His death. What seemed like a defeat has actually turned into the greatest victory ever. If that is true, and I firmly believe it to be, then He can turn what seems like defeat in my life into a doorway which leads to light. By persevering in His grace, I believe that He will bring me to those safe pastures where all those earthly disappointments will be forgotten as they are replaced by the sheer joy of seeing Him face to face, then I will be “fully alive.” With that hope for what He promises for the future, I can begin again and rejoice in the life He offers to me now to sustain me for the journey ahead.