I am so sorry it took me two months to read Pope Benedict XVI's remarkable encyclical,
Spe Salvi. It is a gift to Catholics and I think to pro-lifers in particular. The encyclical is not confusing to read and indeed is something well worth your time and study.
The message contained in Spe Salvi will fill you with hope and gratitude to God. For as the Holy Father writes:
…it is true that anyone who does not know God, even though he may entertain all kinds of hopes, is ultimately without hope, without the great hope that sustains the whole of life (cf. Eph 2:12). Man's great, true hope which holds firm in spite of all disappointments can only be God–God who has loved us and who continues to love us "to the end," until all "is accomplished" (cf. Jn 13:1 and 19:30).
This message is more than pertinent to our struggle because we live in an age of doubt, denial and godlessness. It can be so easy to become disheartened, to compromise or to otherwise believe that no matter what we do, it is impossible to turn back the abortion juggernaut that grips America.
The answer to these negatives is the only positive that matters: hope in Christ. And that is precisely why this encyclical is so inspiring. There very title of it, Spe Salve, which means "saved by hope," says it all.
While it is certainly true that pro-lifers are frequently maligned, ignored or simply marginalized by politicians, the media and others, the antidote is right there for one and all to see. Again, I quote the Holy Father:
…the capacity to suffer for the sake of the truth is the measure of humanity. Yet this capacity to suffer depends on the type and extent of the hope that we bear within us and build upon. The saints were able to make the great journey of human existence in the way that Christ had done before them, because they were brimming with great hope.
BRIMMING WITH GREAT HOPE! What a wonderful thought; what a wonderful goal; what a blessing is our pope!
