Every soul that perseveres in hope and obeys God’s will is assured eternal life. Listen to the saints; they know of what they speak! If we follow their advice, we can’t go wrong. Eternal life is ours. All you angels and saints, pray for us.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church: This great reformer of monasticism teaches us the secret of joy! “Wait upon the Lord; be faithful to His commandments; He will elevate your hope, and put you in possession of His Kingdom. Wait upon Him patiently; wait upon Him by avoiding all sin. He will come, doubt it not; and in the approaching day of His visitation, which will be that of your death and His judgment, He will Himself crown your holy hope. Place all your hope in the Heart of Jesus; it is a safe asylum; for he who trusts in God is sheltered and protected by His mercy. To this firm hope, join the practice of virtue, and even in this life you will begin to taste the ineffable joys of Paradise.”
Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church: Do you long for peace? Then listen to the great hope offered by this wonderful saint. “As a mother delights in taking her child on her knees, in caressing and feeding him, so does our God delight in treating with love and tenderness those souls who give themselves entirely to Him, and place all their hopes in His goodness and bounty.” And another: “The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him. This hope produces in the Saints an unutterable peace, which they preserve even in adversity, because as they love God, and know how beautiful He is to those who love Him, they place all their confidence and find all their repose in Him alone.”
St. John Paul II: Let us always remember we are never alone. God promises not to leave us orphans. “There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us. And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life in the Holy Spirit, that new life which will reach its fulfillment in the resurrection. This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.” What a great hope that offers!
St. Augustine: The rewards for our hope and trust in God are worth every suffering if we only have the eyes to see it. “Not only think of the road through which thou art traveling, but take care never to lose sight of that blessed country in which thou art shortly to arrive. Thou meetest here with passing sufferings, but wilt soon enjoy everlasting rest. When thou lookest up to the recompense, everything thou dost or sufferest will appear light and no more than a shadow; it bears no proportion with what thou art to receive for it. Thou wilt wonder that so much is given for such trifling pains.”