Question 6.109

6.109 Does the Church believe in progress or in hope?

She encourages both. … She is in favor of progress if it promotes the real good of mankind; as for hope, it is born of faith: it is, as the poet Péguy said, “faith that loves”.

Indeed, progress is not the same thing as the hope of heaven. The former seems to be attracted to essentially material concerns. Man aspires to have a better life, to rule over nature, to discover more sophisticated technologies, more rapid communications, a more efficient economy. … The mistake is to become locked into a materialistic vision and to make progress an absolute. Too often in Western societies, and in many large cities of the world, any spiritual progress that leads to hope is almost forbidden.

Christ alone enables man to realize his full potential. Jesus introduces those who believe in him into the trinitarian communion. True progress allows a human being to come to terms with his origins by rediscovering God; this is the way to the Father. True progress lifts our sights, our efforts, and our hope toward the things of eternity!

Man is not happy when he accumulates material goods; he flourishes if he conforms his whole life to Christ’s teaching. Wealth can lead to solitude and sadness, whereas Christ always gives joy. Progress without God is a false happiness.

Pope Francis thinks that “spiritual destitution” is the greatest tragedy of modern man. In his Lenten message in 2014, he wrote: “No less a concern is moral destitution, which consists in slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members-often a young person-is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or pornography! How many people no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future, how many have lost hope! And how many are plunged into this destitution by unjust social conditions, by unemployment, which takes away their dignity as breadwinners, and by lack of equal access to education and health care. In such cases, moral destitution can be considered impending suicide. This type of destitution, which also causes financial ruin, is invariably linked to the spiritual destitution which we experience when we turn away from God and reject his love. If we think we don’t need God who reaches out to us through Christ, because we believe we can make do on our own, we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and free us. The Gospel is the real antidote to spiritual destitution: wherever we go, we are called as Christians to proclaim the liberating news that forgiveness for sins committed is possible, that God is greater than our sinfulness, that he freely loves us at all times and that we were made for communion and eternal life. The Lord asks us to be joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope! It is thrilling to experience the joy of spreading this good news, sharing the treasure entrusted to us, consoling broken hearts and offering hope to our brothers and sisters experiencing darkness. It means following and imitating Jesus, who sought out the poor and sinners as a shepherd lovingly seeks his lost sheep. In union with Jesus, we can courageously open up new paths of evangelization and human promotion.”