Reflections in Ordinary Time

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - September 18, 2005

For me living means Christ and dying means gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. I do not know which I should choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is necessary for your sake.

Philippians 1: 21-24

A Theology of Hope

I’m a little hesitant to admit this, but I really want to die and go to heaven. This is a view that is not very popular today. Many would even say that something is wrong with me to think this way. But if I understand correctly the fundamentals of Christian faith, my thinking makes perfect sense.

One of the practical consequences of the secularization of the modern world is that we no longer believe in a life after death. We live in this world as though we had a permanent place here. We go about our everyday affairs without much thought of what - if anything - awaits us beyond this earthly life. We even have a conventional wisdom now that says it is psychologically unhealthy to believe in an afterlife. We are told that to achieve our full potential as persons, we should be fully engaged in this life rather than looking forward to a future life that we can’t even be sure is out there.

But the conventional wisdom doesn’t have it right. Only one thing can completely fulfill us as persons, and that is to be loved unconditionally. And even though we may have the experience of loving and being loved, we will never find in this world the total, unconditional love that alone can fulfill us. We spend our entire life looking for it, even though we don’t fully understand what it is, and we certainly don’t know where to find it. And if we had nowhere to look for it but in this world, we would never find it. We would have nothing to hope for. Every human life would end in despair.

Only God can give us this unconditional love that is our deepest need. It was God after all who created us, and he created us for no other reason than to love us. He loved us from the moment he brought us into being, and he will love us for all eternity. What more could we ask for than to leave this place of exile and be with God in heaven?

We find ourselves caught between heaven and earth. The more we grow in faith, the more we want to be with God. If we could choose, we would not hesitate for a moment, but would rush to heaven. We would leave behind the cares of this world and fall head over heels into the arms of God.

But it isn’t our choice. Part of faith is that we have to let God decide everything. If we are still here, it’s because God wants us here. We know he has his reasons, even if we don’t understand them. God is giving us time to grow in love, to make us ready for heaven. We do in fact have to be fully engaged in this life, but doing the right things for the right reasons. We have to live in hope, knowing that if we trust God today and every day, we will one day reach the end of our journey, and experience the indescribable joy of God’s love in heaven.

Father, guide us as you guide creation according to your law of love. May we love one another and come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us.

- from the mass for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Read another reflection on hope.