Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


2.05.2008  

Hope

"Now hope is a faculty of the soul to look out for mercy."

-Thomas Hooker, The Poor Doubting Christian Drawn to Christ

Mercy, by its very definition, is to receive or not receive that which we deserve. If this is so, and if Hooker's statement is true, then I find hope to be a most difficult endeavor. I say this because I find within my soul the principle to look toward the consequences of my actions, of my character. If I lie, steal, or lust, then it should follow that I should bear the penalty for such actions. In fact, it would be unseemly of me to act in such a manner and not expect some sort of just retribution to come down upon my wrongful soul.

Where, then, is hope?

Hope does not turn a blind eye toward justice; if anything, it looks toward justice full in the face, seeking it out, not wavering from one moment to the next. Hope, however, sees that justice has already been paid in full, and having done so, expresses naught but mercy for those who would be otherwise condemned. Hope sees the failing, stumbling actions and character of the sinner as the sweet and savory fruit of the life of a saint united with Christ. Hope is the act whereby mercy is no longer merely theory, but where it is longed-for, where it is looked-for.

posted by Bolo | 8:44 PM
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