Pursue true hope.
Hold on to it, stoke its flames, don’t let go, and don’t compromise.
In my journey so far, I’ve learned faith to be the most mysterious and mystical virtue and charity to be the most visible and practical. In the community of CFC-Youth, you will easily find many ways to nurture these two virtues. Our discussion groups, conferences, and advocacies give us these chances.
In my pursuit of holiness, the three cardinal virtues are a good compass for whenever I feel lost.
“Am I being virtuous?”
“Am I lacking faith?”
“Can I be more charitable?”
“Why am I despairing?”
I joined my youth camp in 2013. Ever since then, nurturing the virtues of faith and charity were made easy by the community of CFC-Youth. As I strived for a more virtuous life, I was left yearning to grow in hope. It was then when I saw that there was some pride in me that held me complacent.
I always thought I was a hopeful person—maybe in a modern sense I think I am. This is probably why I found the virtue of hope desirable yet eventually I found it was also lacking in my life. The Church has a wonderful definition of this virtue but I have recently defined it as: “The certainty beyond all of life’s uncertainties.”
People often say, “God is good.” I find myself saying this countless times in discussion groups, meetings, events, and conferences. Boiled down, this is essentially what true hope is. Just like anything worth something, it’s tested in fire. True hope lies in believing that God is good even when He brings you to a new country where you have no friends, when your university application is rejected numerous times, or even when you feel physically worn down, emotionally spent, or spiritually dry.
Experiencing all these things, I realized how easy it was to lose faith and how easy it was to deprive others of charity. Through this realization, I learned that, while I believe that God is real and present in the Eucharist and that my faith in Him inspires me to be charitable to those around me, the virtue of true hope was made for my interior life.
True hope lies in abandoning yourself to the certainty that God is good. My dear reader, I know that God is good because He gave me you.
What is your source of true hope?
Diego Manaligod – Brother Community-Based Head | CFC-Youth Pacific Region
