Faith and hope are inseparable companions on the journey of the Christian life. Without faith, there can be no true hope. St Paul reminds us: “Do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thess 4,13). Without belief in eternal life, death appears as a final destination; a soul extinguished like a candle, with no promise of resurrection.
But the Christian message offers something greater. Jesus Christ taught us that at the end of time, all people shall rise again and both the good and the wicked shall be gathered for the final judgement. This teaching, grounded in the resurrection of Christ, offers hope that reaches beyond the grave.
When God told Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3,6), these patriarchs had long since died. Yet God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Their lives did not end in death, but continued in the mystery of the life to come.
St Paul reflects on the nature of the resurrected body: “It is sown a perishable body, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory” (1 Cor 15,42). Our bodies, weak and mortal, will be raised in strength and glory. The person who lives a good and faithful life will resemble Christ in the resurrection, not just in spirit, but in a glorified body.
Many believe this truth without seeing. Christ praised such faith when he said, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and have yet believed” (John 20,29). To believe without visible proof is an act of faith and hope rooted in the assurance that God is faithful.
The risen Christ fills our hearts with hope. And because hope does not deceive us, we live with the confidence that we will one day encounter face to face the one who loves us beyond measure.
