As he begins to unpack the biblical meaning of hope, Pope Benedict notes how the terms “faith” and “hope” seem to be somewhat interchangeable. Though these are in fact two separate theological virtues, they do share much in common. He cites St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians in saying that before they came to a life of faith in Christ, they were “without hope and without God in the world.” (Eph 2:12) Faith involves assenting to all that God has revealed as truth, and that opens the door for us to have hope in the promise that what He has revealed is that we are called to be with Him in Heaven, and that He will provide all of the graces necessary for us to get there. Much more can be said to distinguish these two virtues, but I think this brief explanation will suffice to show how interrelated they are, while remaining distinct.
The line from paragraph 2 of Spe Salvi that I would like to focus on comes later in the paragraph after the Holy Father treats on faith and hope together. He references a line from St. Paul’s words to the Church in Thessalonica: “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” (1 Thes 4:13) The pope then writes:
Here too we see as a distinguishing mark of Christians the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness. Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well…The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life. (SS, 2)
This is a great gift to be able to leave the future in the hands of God, trusting His fidelity, believing in His promises, so that we can attend to where He wants us here and now, and by our saying “yes” to Him each day, we know that the hope we have for the future will not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). In that regard, I want to share a part of a meditation from St. John Henry Newman that I think expresses this interplay of faith and hope in a beautiful way:
Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,
He may shorten it;
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends,
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—
still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see—
I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.St. John Henry Newman, Meditation (March 7, 1848)
Father Alford