Session 7: A life anchored in hope, part 2

God loves us so much that even God’s judgment is not to be feared for those who seek to follow God.  That is the message of the final paragraphs of Spes Non Confundit, where Pope Francis encourages us to live a life anchored in hope.  Although we face God’s judgment at the end of our lives, our salvation has been won by Jesus even though we may need to be purified before living forever with God.  Here, Pope Francis explains the role of the indulgences that are offered during the Jubilee Year.  All of this leads to his final point, that our hope in God allows us to approach God with confidence.

Our study guide questions will help us explore Jesus’s criteria for the Last Judgment, the effects of sin and how we might overcome those effects, how Jesus’s mother Mary is a role model, and how the way we live our lives can bring hope to others.  We are on a journey where we can make a difference in the lives of others, not just ourselves!

Read paragraphs 22-25 in preparation for this session.

Paragraph 22 (God’s judgment)

In paragraph 22, Pope Francis looks squarely at the reality that we will all be judged by God.

Read 1 John 4:8-16

According to John, how do we know that God loves us?

According to John, how can we abide or live in God’s love?

Read Matthew 25:31-46

What are the criteria by which God will judge us at the Last Judgment?

How are you currently active in some form of service to others in need, or how might you take a step forward into service?

Suggested Activities: 

• Get involved in the work of a soup kitchen or food pantry in your community.

• Help a crisis pregnancy center as it seeks to provide the most basic needs of newborns in your area: cribs, diapers, baby food, clothes, etc.

• Talk with a homeless person you encounter on the street.

• Reach out to a stranger who is new to your neighborhood or parish and welcome them.

• Practice putting on new eyes that see the people in need who are normally invisible to most of us as we live our busy and distracted lives.

Read Wisdom 12:19-22

According to Wisdom 12:19, why is repentance an important step toward hope?

What does receiving mercy from God (Wisdom 12:22) mean to you?  What does it look like?

In the second part of paragraph 22, Pope Francis tells us that we need to be “purified” in order to have “a definitive encounter with the Lord.”  What does he mean by “purified”?  How does Pope Francis connect this to our prayers for those who have died?

Suggested Activity: 

• Pray for those who have died, that God may purify them for eternal life.

Paragraph 23 (indulgence and the sacrament of Penance)

In the multiple parts of paragraph 23, Pope Francis explains the Church’s teaching on indulgence and how it is different from the forgiveness of sins we receive in the sacrament of Penance.

Read Psalm 103:3-4, 8, 10-12

What do these verses of Psalm 103 tell us about what happens when we confess our sins?

What does this psalm tell us about God’s mercy and what God does with our sins?

In the second part of paragraph 23, how does Pope Francis describe the purpose and effects of the sacrament of Penance?

The Jubilee Year offers a special indulgence for those who participate fully in its practices.  A separate Vatican document issued in May 2024 summarizes the indulgence as follows: “All the faithful, who are truly repentant and free from any affection for sin (cf. Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, IV ed., norm. 20, § 1), who are moved by a spirit of charity and who, during the Holy Year, purified through the sacrament of penance and refreshed by Holy Communion, pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, will be able to obtain from the treasury of the Church a plenary indulgence, with remission and forgiveness of all their sins” (Decree on the Granting of the Indulgence During the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 Called by His Holiness Pope Francis).  This indulgence can be applied to souls in Purgatory if certain requirements are met.

In the third part of paragraph 23, what does Pope Francis mean when he says that every sin “leaves its mark,” and what does the Jubilee indulgence do?

In the fourth part of paragraph 23, what does Pope Francis say about forgiving others?  Why should the experience of receiving forgiveness from God lead us to forgive others?

Suggested Activities: 

• Go to confession and confess your sins to God.

• Where appropriate, reach out to those you have hurt and ask their forgiveness.

• Forgive someone who has done something wrong to you.

• Practice seeing others as God sees them and extend to them the grace and forgiveness that God extends to you.

Paragraph 24 (the Mother of God)

Read Luke 2:25-38

What did Simeon say about Jesus?  How does he describe Jesus in his prayer?

In verses 34-35, Simeon tells Mary that she will suffer, but he says more than that.  How might his words have been an encouragement to her to have hope?

Pope Francis presents Mary as the supreme example of hope and notes that the 500th anniversary of her appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe is near.  How have Mary’s appearances throughout history encouraged people who are suffering to have hope?

How is Mary an example of hope for you?

Suggested Activities: 

• Pray the Magnificat and connect with Mary’s hope and trust in God.

• Use the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary as a way to contemplate Mary’s hope-filled approach to life; then seek to follow her model of willingness to submit to God’s will.

Paragraph 25 (hope as an anchor)

Read Hebrews 6:17-20

Why do you think Hebrews 6:17-20 calls hope an “anchor” for our souls?

In the second part of paragraph 25, Pope Francis explains why he thinks the image of an anchor is so appropriate.  What metaphor does he use to show how hope is an anchor?

How is hope an anchor for your life?

In the third part of paragraph 25, Pope Francis suggests that our hope in God can affect our work “in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation” – in other words, in every facet of our lives, sacred and secular.

How can we bring our hope in God into parts of society that are not explicitly “spiritual”?

How can we put our hope in God into action to care for the environment and the Earth?

In the final part of paragraph 25, Pope Francis says, “May the way we live our lives” encourage others to have hope.  What is one thing you can do, in the way you live your life, that might spread hope to others?

Suggested Activity: 

• Go through an examination of conscience or examen.  Use it to try to detect areas of your life where you need to make adjustments so that your life spreads hope and the love of God to others.  Act on your discoveries.

Conclusion

Looking back over this entire study of Spes Non Confundit, what do you think God wants you to take from this study and put into practice in your life?

• What adjustments might God want you to make in how you think, to more fully anchor your life in the hope that comes from God?

• How might God want you to adjust the things you say, so that your words communicate clearly your hope in God?

• How might God want you to make changes in the things you do, so that your hope in God leads to actions that benefit the world around you?

• What is one thing you might do to help extend God’s hope to the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly, migrants, refugees, or prisoners?

End this study with a prayer, asking God to empower you to ground your life ever more fully in God’s hope and effectively extend that hope to others in service and love.