“Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation” (Rom. 12:12).
The Apostle Saint Paul addresses this exhortation to the Christian community in Rome to strengthen them in the Spirit of the Lord. We must always keep the flame of hope alive. However, it should not be confused with human optimism, which is fleeting; rather, it is one of the three theological virtues that deeply unite us to our Heavenly Father. True hope is always directed toward God, for He Himself is our hope.
No matter what happens, and even if the situation seems hopeless, hope in God gives us spiritual joy. Therefore, we must never give in to the sadness that comes with despair.
On the path of following the Lord, tribulations are inevitable. In fact, our Heavenly Father uses them to form us spiritually. The Apostle’s exhortation points to a fruit that can ripen when we overcome tribulations: the patience that grows in us when we persevere in faith. Even in tribulations, it is our union with our Father that gives us the strength to remain faithful to Him. With each act of fidelity to God in a concrete situation, our life is consolidated in Him, our patience grows, and we learn to trust the Lord more and more deeply.
If we take these two exhortations of the Apostle to heart and strive to put them into practice, the witness of our faith will acquire something of that power capable of overcoming the world—a power that the Lord offers us in Himself: “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).