Pope Francis: Hope opens a window on eternity

By Pope Francis

Among the many questions that man has posed throughout history, one above all has always found an uncertain answer, but one that allows us to confront the very event from which this primordial question arises—that is, life beyond death. What will become of man after death? What will become of me? We are all aware that no one escapes the mystery of death and that the multiple questions that arise from this event cannot but call into question that virtue which, more than any other, allows every man and woman to look beyond the human limit: hope! Because hope is life, it is living, it is giving meaning to the journey, it is finding the reasons for which to go on, motivating the meaning of our existence, of our present, of our being here, now.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes how the theological virtue of hope finds its foundation in the word of Jesus, stating that, "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" (1); Moreover, "The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude."

Hope offers, in the life of man, a window onto the Eternal. We are well aware, however, that the answer to the question about the destination of the Christian journey can be a negative one, due to the many harmful influences that come from the world; moreover, faced with the fear of thinking that there is nothing after the end of the journey, it is possible that humanity may fall into despair. If the virtue of hope is lacking, the other virtues that rest upon it also collapse. Today, this pillar of the life of faith is often mocked, and it is so misunderstood that the popular saying “he who lives on hope dies in despair” dominates the topic.

There is the risk, as Bishop Bello notes, now increasingly lurking, of thinking that hope is "a kind of storage closet for unfulfilled desires, [...]. "Instead, it must be made clear that hope is a close relative of realism. It is the tension of someone who, having set out on a path, has already walked part of it and directs their steps, with love and trepidation, toward the goal not yet reached. It is a strong commitment, in short, that has nothing to do with escape (3)."

It must be kept in mind, however, that hope is not a gift that one possesses by human merit alone, but it is grace that arises from the innate desire to be happy. Through Christ who died and rose again, this grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is implanted in the heart of every man and woman: “this desire is of divine origin; God placed it in the heart of man to draw him to Himself, because He alone can fulfill it” (4).

In the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee of 2025, I write, "Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness..."

Taking inspiration from the thought of Don Tonino Bello and from my own words and catecheses on the virtue of hope, Don Tommaso Giannuzzi has sought to reread certain aspects of it, which, through our words, become for the reader an invitation to be amazed by this force that finds its beginning and its summit in the Risen One. Through the analysis of some writings of Bishop Bello and mainly through the catecheses on this theme which I delivered during the Wednesday audiences of the year 2017, the author of the text will seek to give a face to this spring that gushes forth in the heart of humanity. This invitation then becomes a commitment to make this “little girl” grow within us, as Bishop Bello also loved to call this great virtue, making his own the words and thought of the great poet and writer Charles Péguy.

Péguy writes, "What must my grace be like, and the strength of my grace, for this little hope, wavering at the breath of sin, trembling in every wind, anxious at the slightest breeze, to remain so unchanging, to stay so faithful, so upright, so pure; and invincible, and immortal, and impossible to extinguish [...]. What amazes me, says God, is hope. I can’t get over it. This little hope that seems like nothing. This little girl hope, immortal (6)."

This invitation then becomes a commitment to grow within ourselves this “little girl,” as Bishop Bello also liked to call this great virtue, making his own the words and thought of the great poet and writer Charles Péguy: “What must be the strength of my grace and the strength of my grace for this little hope, trembling at every breath of sin, quivering in every wind, anxious at the slightest breeze, to remain so constant, to hold so true, so straight, so pure, and invincible, and immortal, and impossible to extinguish [...], What astonishes me, says God, is hope. I am surprised by it. This little hope that seems like nothing at all. This little girl hope, immortal.”

Notes
(1) Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1992, no. 1817 (from now on: CCC).
(2) Ibid., no. 1818
(3) A. Bello, Squilli di trombe e rintocchi di campane, in Scritti 3, Ed. La Nuova Mezzina, Molfetta (BA) 2014, p. 231. The works of Mons. Bello are collected in six volumes published by the publishing house La Nuova Mezzina. Throughout the text, we will refer to the works by indicating the volume in which they are contained with the wording Scritti 1, 2, etc. [Author's note].
(5) Francis, Spes non confundit, Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, May 9, 2024, no. 1.
(6) C. Péguy, The Mysteries, Jaca Book, Milan 1997, pp. 164–165.