Our world as it is today seems like it isn’t the best time to be a religious, but I dare say that it is the best time to be. It is the best time to be a witness to Christ and the Gospel values. It is the best time to hope and give hope when all hope seems to be lost and we feel we are hoping against hope; it is the best time to journey in hope. As St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, ‘Hope is the anchor of the soul.’ In a world filled with uncertainty and despair, hope can be a difficult virtue to cultivate.
Yet, for you, consecrated men and women, hope is not just a virtue, but a way of life. We are aware that consecrated life has its own challenges: Spiritual struggles, physical exhaustion, criticism from the world, feelings of loneliness and isolation among others. Be reminded that the cross is a powerful symbol of hope in your lives. It reminds you that your struggles and hardships are not in vain, that they are a sharing in the sufferings of Christ. However, it is exactly in these tough and trying times that you are called to hold onto hope.
This hope comes from trusting in God, who promises to be with us always, saying ‘Do not be afraid, I am with you’ (Jer 1:8). The hope we speak of does not rely on statistics or achievements, but on the One in whom we have placed our trust (2 Tim 1:2), the One for whom “nothing is impossible” (Lk 1:37). This is the hope that does not disappoint (Rom 5:5), it is the hope that allows consecrated life to continue to write its remarkable history into the future. It is to that future, as you journey, that you must consistently direct your gaze, aware that the Holy Spirit motivates you so that He can still accomplish great things through you.
Therefore, do not succumb to the temptation of viewing growth in terms of numbers and efficiency, and even less to rely on your own strength. At times, like Elijah and Jonah, you may experience the temptation to abandon your apostolate or vows due to its demanding, tiresome, or seemingly unfruitful nature as well as challenges from within and without. Be reminded that Christ reassures you as He did with the apostles, ‘I am with you always till the end of time’ (Mt 28:20) 1:8). Do not be closed in on yourselves, don’t be discouraged by challenges, don’t remain a hostage to your own challenges.
Indeed, they will be resolved if you can, like Christ instructed, go forth and proclaim the Good News and help others to resolve their own problems. You will find life by giving life, hope by giving hope and love by giving love.
• Most Rev.(Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins is the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
