Spe Salvi as a discernment tool, part 3

Pope Benedict asks the tough question, one that certainly needs to be asked of anyone seriously discerning God’s call. He wants to know “is the Christian faith also for us today a life changing and life sustaining hope?” Certainly the answer needs to be yes for those who are seeking out God’s call and truly want to follow it. He returns to the performative or informative idea. Does the gospel influence our actions or is simply more information that can be pushed aside by newer information.

Pope Benedict illustrates the point in two ways. The first illustration is that of parents having their infant baptized. There is a dialogue that is part of the liturgy that takes place between the parents and the priest. The priest asks two questions after receiving the name of the child from the parents. The priest is attempting to have the parents answer faith to the first question and eternal life to the second question. The parents want the child baptized, they want their child to be part of the community of the Church, but ultimately the parents want the child to be in heaven. I remember often when I was growing up my mom used to say, “don’t do anything that would prevent you from seeing me in heaven.” That line has caused me to think about my behavior and keep it aligned with the gospel. Pope Benedict demonstrating here faith at work. Not only do parent’s want their child to be happy but also they know heaven is the place where that will occur. The second illustration though is the paradox that we as humans have. That is our desire to live forever, but our seeing eternal life as a curse and/or something to fear. St. Ambrose stated this, we don’t want to die, but we don’t want to live forever. These two illustrations seem to be odds with each other. The parents want for their children seem to have been forgotten in their own life.

The answer to these points is that in baptism we receive the gift of faith. We start the formal introduction to God. In baptism we are sealed by God and claimed by God. This seal and claim come from the substance that God gives and in this situation it is the gift of faith. God’s grace is driving us to desire heaven. What is causing us fear and despair is our own thoughts, which cannot comprehend heaven, and our sins. Pope Benedict ends this section with how we should view eternal life:

It would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time – the before and after – no longer exists. We can only attempt to grasp the idea that such a moment is life in the full sense, a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy. (#12)

This joy will be so complete time will not even be a thought. This is why Pope John Paul II proclaimed, “be not afraid” so loudly. It is why Pope Benedict said give everything to God because He gives back with more. Fear is part of being human, but we have been invited to heaven and we have been made ready by God’s grace given to us in the Church.