Faith and Hope - Cardinal Bacci

Faith and Hope

1. A man without the light of faith is like a blind man groping in the dark. The world which surrounds us is an inconceivable absurdity unless we have faith in a God who creates and orders. Life is an aimless journey if it is not illuminated by faith in a Creator Who will reward us. Everything without us and within us speaks to us of God and directs our steps towards Him, our supreme benefactor, our judge, and our eternal reward. The stars of the heavens and the flowers of the fields tell us of the infinite beauty and goodness of their Creator. In the pages of the Gospel we find a clearer and more penetrating light which invites us to adore and love the divine Redeemer and to believe in Him, Who alone has the words of eternal life and Who alone can satisfy the infinite desires of our hearts.

All this is true. Everything around us and within us leads us to God and invites us to have faith. The virtue of faith, however, is a supernatural gift which we must humbly and perseveringly beg from God. It is, as St. Thomas says, the foundation of the entire spiritual life (Summa Theologiae, III, q. 73, a. 3); without it the spiritual edifice would collapse. How thankful, therefore, we should be to God for having been called to the faith and for having been born in the Catholic Church. There are so many other souls outside Her, who grope in the darkness longing for the truth. We should pray for them that they may reach the port of salvation and may be able to join with us in praising, loving, and serving our Lord Jesus Christ. We should also be well aware that, as pointed out by St. James, faith without good works is dead. (Cf. James 2:17-20) Even the devils believe, as St. Augustine observes (De Caritate, 10), but this does not help their salvation. Besides faith, the love of God and love of our neighbour are necessary. The result of this double charity should be a gradual increase in good works.

2. Christian hope derives from faith. When we believe in the infinitely good and merciful God Who was made man for us and who shed His Precious Blood for our salvation, we experience a great hope and a great confidence. No matter how numerous our sins and our defects, as long as we are sincerely repentant we should continue to hope for the forgiveness of God. Despair, which led Judas to commit suicide, should never be allowed to enter our minds. Like the penitent Magdalen, like the prodigal son, like the lost sheep, and like the good thief, let us trust in Jesus with faith, hope, and sorrow for our sins. Let us remember that He is infinitely good and merciful and ardently desires to pardon us. Together with this hope of God’s forgiveness, we should nurture the hope of gaining Heaven, which the Lord in His infinite goodness has promised not only to innocent souls but also to repentant sinners. In order that this hope may not be in vain, however, we should include in our repentance for our sins a firm purpose of amendment.

3. We should also have great confidence in the continual assistance which God offers us in the temptations, troubles, and trials of life. When we are strongly tempted, we should remember that God will not permit us to be tempted beyond our strength (Cf. 1 Cor. 10:13), and we should pray to Him for help. When pain torments us, when humiliations are hard to bear, when all is dark and we feel abandoned, let us trust in Him, Who is the way, the truth, and the life. He says to us, as He said to Peter floundering in the waves: “O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?” (Mt. 14:31) He is always ready to console and comfort us.

Let us remember that the more we hope for, the more we shall obtain.

Mary, Our Hope - Cardinal Bacci

Mary, Our Hope

1. In the beautiful prayer known as the Salve Regina or Hail Holy Queen, the Church salutes Mary as "our life, our sweetness and our hope." Mary is our hope because she gave us our Saviour, Jesus, and because she prays to Him continually for the graces which we need. Following the example of Luther, modern Protestants raise the objection that Mary cannot be regarded as a source of hope because all our trust should be placed in God. Anyone who places his trust in creatures draws down God's curse upon himself, they say, and they go on to quote from Jeremias: “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man.” (Jer. 17:5) But this is true only when we trust in creatures independently of God, as if we can derive any good from them without recourse to God. We invoke Mary, however, as the Mother of God and our mediatrix with Him. She is our hope in so far as she obtains for us from God the graces and favours which we require. St. Bernard assures us that God has placed in Mary's hands all the riches which He wishes to bestow on us. (Serm. De aquaed.) "He will never experience eternal ruin," says St. Anselm, "for whom Mary has once prayed." St. Bernard calls upon Mary as the foundation of all his hope. (Serm. De aquaed.) Let us remember that Mary is our loving Mother who wishes us to pray to her because she knows that if she intercedes on our behalf, she will certainly be heard. It should be most consoling to us to have such a good and powerful Mother in whom we can safely trust in every peril and in every necessity. Let us pray to her with love and faith in the certainty that we shall be answered in the way that is best for us. Let us say along with St. John Damascene: “O Mother of God, if I place my trust in you I shall be saved. If I am under your protection, I have nothing to fear, because to be devoted to you is to possess a weapon of salvation which God grants only to those whom He desires to redeem.” (Serm. de Nat., cap.4)

2. These expressions of confidence in Mary's powerful intercession should not lead us astray, however. They hold good with absolute certainty only for those who have true devotion to Mary. Even if they are sinners, such clients of Mary must have at least the good intention of changing their lives and never offending God anymore. Sin and sincere devotion to Our Lady cannot co-exist. "Relinquish every intention of sinning," St. Gregory VII wrote to the Princess Matilde, "and you will find Mary more eager to help you than any earthly mother." (Lib. I, Ep. 47) We should ask, furthermore, for spiritual favours first of all. Later we can ask for temporal favours if they are to our spiritual advantage. Finally, if we are to have a true devotion to Mary, we must love and imitate her as well as pray to her. Anyone who sincerely tries to do all this is certain of salvation.

3. O Mary, my Mother, I place my trust in you because I know that your intercession is all-powerful with your divine Son, Jesus. Help me to detach myself completely from sin and to conquer my rebellious inclinations. Grant that I may imitate the shining example of your sanctity in such a way that you may be truly my hope and my sure refuge now and at the hour of death. Amen.