Spe Salvi as a discernment tool, part 9

We have finally arrived at Judgment as a setting for learning and practicing hope. This section varies from Pope Benedict’s normal structure; instead of leading off with a statement, he starts in on the topic of the final judgment. He states historically, “the prospect of the Judgement has influenced Christians in their daily living as a criterion by which to order their present life (#41).” Pope Benedict postulates that final judgment now “has faded into the background(#42).” This is because we are concerned with our self and not with those around us. We see ourselves disconnected with the community and with God. In fact, Pope Benedict suggests that we see God as disconnected from world events, so that we must act on our own to right the world. The result is “a world without hope has to create its own justice is a world without hope(#42).” This disconnectedness allows sin to reign in our hearts and minds and we think that God is not present in the world and not working in the world. Being disconnected then allows our imagination to leap to ideas that are unrealistic but real in our own mind. We have the audacity to think we have to provide the answer our self. We act out of our self instead of acting by God’s grace.

Pope Benedict reminds us that we have to build our life “upon a common foundation: Jesus Christ(#46).” Building our foundation on Jesus means allowing Jesus to influence and guide our lives. Often though our fear of God creates this desire to want to be unnoticed, that is we fear God seeing us. Pope Benedict states, “His gaze, the touch of His Heart heals through an undeniably painful transformation ‘as through fire.’ But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of His love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God(#47).” We have to allow God’s grace to motivate us beyond our passions. If our foundation is our fear, ultimately our own knowledge will then be selfish and we will collapse in death. If grace animates us beyond our fear, then we share in God’s wisdom, we are selfless and we are actually fully our self. Keeping the thought of the Final Judgment before God in our mind helps us to understand the reason why need to be animated by God’s grace and not by our fears. If our foundation is Jesus, then facing God after death might give us anxiety, but Grace will ultimately conquer the anxiety. If our foundation is our self, then our anxieties will conquer us and we will be alone. We must want to be with others, to be part of a community. We must want to be inspired and dependent upon others, ultimately Jesus.

This is why the Pope ends with a section on Mary. He states, “Certainly, Jesus Christ is the true light,… But to reach Him we also need lights close by-people who shine with His light and so guide us along our way(#50).” Pope Benedict points out that we should have Mary be an active part of our life. But we also need holy people in our daily life that help us to remember to be animated in God’s grace.