Christian hope is “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817). Without hope, the future is dark and unsure. With hope, even trials, persecutions, and martyrdom do not cause the Christian to despair. Hope springs from faith and is intimately entwined with it, so much that the two are almost interchangeable. Christians do not worry as much about saving the planet as they do about saving souls; they do not fear death, but embrace it as the longed-for transition to life with Christ. As my mother-in-law said with joy on her deathbed, “I’m going to my Lord.” The couple who hope to attain eternal life, knowing that their true home is Heaven, strive to live lives that will bring them closer to God.
The
virtue of hope helped St. Maximillian Kolbe face many challenges during his
life and to embrace martyrdom in a Nazi concentration camp. A Polish priest, he was arrested by the Nazis
for protecting Jewish refugees; he was sent to Auschwitz. There, he took the place of another prisoner
who had been condemned to death. He
trusted in Christ and the Virgin Mary, the Immaculata, for help in life and death.
Dear
Lord, through the intercession of St. Maximillian Kolbe, grant to this couple
an increase of the theological virtue of Hope, that, as they enter the autumn
of their lives, they will joyfully anticipate eternal life with You, and prayerfully
serve You in whatever tasks you require of them. Please also grant the enduring gift of Hope
to each of their children and grandchildren, so that the entire family will one
day be reunited in Heaven. Amen.
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