There is real confusion these days about the virtue of Hope. So many people see it as waiting for something in the future, the ultimate realization of a dream we have, an unfulfilled desire, or a condition we will experience at some point down the road. But that is not hope. Hope is directly related to the current circumstances of our lives. Hope, if it is truly lived, is a desire that is disciplined and directed toward the fulfillment of its purpose.
For example, we all hope for eternal life, we deeply desire it, and we should. But in hoping for it, we cannot simply wait for it. The pursuit of eternal life is something we must actually live now. Hope demands a response on our part; there is something we must be doing in this life if we truly desire to take possession of and experience eternal life.
It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus]. Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
St. Paul challenges us to recognize that hope must be acted on, its objective pursued. But he also reveals two critical and not-well-understood truths about the pursuit of this goal.
First, Paul acknowledges he has not yet taken possession of the prize he seeks, but he says that Jesus Christ has already taken possession of him. As Paul wrote in an earlier letter to the Galatians, Christ was already active in animating Paul’s daily life.
I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)
Second, in his Letter to the Philippians, Paul explains his desire of attaining a perfect maturity. There is no other way to understand this maturity then that Paul desires to grow into the full maturity of Christ.
Until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)
Having recently enjoyed the Summer Olympics, perhaps these demanding athletic competitions might serve as a source for our better understanding this principle.
The young person who hopes to win an Olympic Gold medal one day, would not expect to do so by merely dreaming about the day the medal will be placed around their neck. Instead, they would get up every day, go to the track, the pool, or the gym, and do the work. Every day they would train their body to become the person who one day will be able to run the race and win. But what is the real goal for the athlete? Is it really just having a medal placed around their neck? Or is the real crown of glory becoming the person who is able to run and win the race? Isn’t the real reward actually the transformation of their body into the person who has the strength and capacity to run and win?
Paul’s words to the people of Corinth help explain this analogy to athletic training.
Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
Paul is advocating that it is in the training itself that we experience the true victory. In overcoming our limitations, our weakness, our laziness, we actually become the prize we so desire. The medal is merely the confirmation that we have successfully engaged in the arduous effort to transform ourselves.
But how does this relate to eternal life? Isn’t eternal life the only goal we are pursuing.
Well, it may be shocking for some, but we are not given this training opportunity called life, only so that we can attain eternal life. This mindset is what leads some people to mistakenly base gaining eternal life on the simple reciting of a formula for salvation. Eternal salvation is not a line of demarcation we step over at our death, eternity begins now, but it must be pursued.
We are given the limited span of 70, 80 or 90 years (for most) to allow ourselves to be transformed into love. And whatever effort we put forth, whatever sacrifices we make in this life to allow that process of transformation to occur, will determine the condition of our souls when we cross the finish line. Our participation in the preparation must be every day.
And we must understand we could never hope to achieve our future goal of eternal life without the support of others. All Olympic athletes have parents, coaches, and fellow athletes who support them along the way. In the spiritual journey, we would refer to these as our spiritual models, mentors and guides.
All great athletes also have a routine, a training plan and a dietary regimen. We could refer to these as our rule of life, our prayerful devotions and the gift of grace, which nourishes our soul along the way. And, we cannot forget, that in the end, someone will place that medal around our neck, the one who made the entire process possible in the first place – God.
Hope cannot be limited to a mere desire or dream for some future blessing, it must come alive within us and animate every single aspect of our lives here and now.
According to his great mercy, Christ has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the His resurrection from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
Copyright © 2024, Deacon Mark Danis
Image credit: “St. Paul Preaching at Athens,” Marcantonio Raimondi after Raphael (Art Institute of Chicago), Public domain, via artic.edu