Recently I’ve been thinking about hope, one of the three theological virtues that God infuses into each baptized Christian, (as much as he can be filled).

A cup and a thimble

It is interesting to think of the “cup of water” analogy that one of St. Therese of Lisieux’s four older sisters (I’m not sure which one) from Therese’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul.

As a spiritual lesson that would later be pivotal for Therese, her sister filled a cup and a thimble full to the brim with water, then asked Therese which one was fuller. She answered that they were both equally full.

Therese’s sister told her it is also so with our souls; that our goal is to be filled completely with Christ.

With this simple metaphor, the spiritual lesson she imparted to Therese was brilliant: Some will die a “thimble” and others a “great pitcher”: Some have a great capacity for God, and others less so.

The point she made is we are not supposed to compare ourselves with others but focus on allowing God to fills us with Himself, growing ever larger in our capacity.

Therese later referred to herself as a “little flower” in God’s great garden in the midst of more magnificent “blooms”. This formed her simple spirituality that she called the “Little Way”–doing small things with great love for God–regarding Him as a loving father.

The little French nun died at twenty-four from tuberculosis, yet she stands today as one of four women Doctors of the Catholic Church.

Therese is a perfect example of a saint who had great hope. She was “all in” with her faith and, though she had a lot of challenges in her short life, she never gave in to discouragement or despair.

A reason for our hope

Christianity is not so much about hope itself but rather, the reason for our hope.

It is not a hope in the things of this world, which breeds the rotten fruits of despair (from discouragement) and presumption (from pride).

Both ways, the rocky canyon of despair and the smooth paved road of the unconverted, lead to hell.

That’s because Christian hope is not about ourselves. It is a supernatural virtue (given to us by the Holy Spirit) that helps us to focus on Jesus hanging on the Cross. It is a hope in God alone, and His unsurpassable generosity towards us. It enables us to hold fast during our trials and persevere until the end.

It is the hand that clasps ours tightly from heaven, breaking through the veil. And many before us have chosen to cling to it, giving them courage.

Hope gives us courage

Chinese Cardinal, Ignatius Kung (1901-2000), was one such person.

According to a 1989 article in the Los Angeles Times, Kung, then the bishop of Shanghai, was imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party and put in solitary confinement for thirty years (1955-1985) before being released on house arrest. After international pressure, he was eventually allowed to travel to the United States (Stamford, Connecticut) for medical care through his nephew, Joseph, who had immigrated to America. He later died in Stamford at the age of 98. Two years earlier, the Chinese government had officially exiled him from his homeland.

Every day in prison, Kung (addressed only by his prison number, 1423, and later, 28234), was commanded to recant his service to the Roman Catholic Church and he would be released.

Year after year, and sometimes, after hours of interrogation, sleep deprivation and coercion, he refused.

After his release In 1991, Bishop Kung publicly received the red cardinal hat in Rome from St. Pope John Paul II–an event that generated a seven-minute-long standing-ovation by the 9,000 people present.

It requires faith to know God, but it required supernatural hope to persevere to such a heroic degree that sustained someone like Cardinal Kung, no matter how many outside influences threatened to distract, discourage and wear him down.

What a Christian witness to hope! During the remainder of his fourteen years of life, the elderly Cardinal remained active in America, bringing international attention to the persecuted Christians in China.

in 1957, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen famously wrote of him and a Hungarian Bishop: “The West has its Mindszenty, but the East has its Kung. God is glorified in His saints.”

His life is fascinating and worth a read.

Hope does not disappoint

Some have tendencies to think they continually disappoint God. But I’m here to tell you that true hope does not disappoint. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church has a beautiful teaching on supernatural hope:

“It keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment” (CCC 1818).

Whether the apostles, St. Therese of Lisieux or Ignatius Kung, these saintly people all had one thing in common: they did not get discouraged during their times of abandonment.

They knew that on the other side, they would get to meet the Source of unending love and joy. And they rested in that they would be rewarded in heaven–that their suffering was not in vain.

Thinking of heaven

We may not all be called to the same degree of courage and sacrifice as Cardinal Kung (and many others like him).

But we are all called to be steadfast, to plunge ahead and not look back, and to be ready to give an explanation for the reason for our hope.

Perhaps we can all take a lesson from Bishop Kung, whose entire life seemed to be summed up in the answer he gave to an American visitor who asked if he missed China. Jim Mann of the Los Angeles Times recorded that Kung laughed before saying, “I’m thinking of heaven.”

This is a man who knew the reason for his hope (1 Peter 3:15); and that his hope would not disappoint.