Sperancyjna wiarygodność chrześcijaństwa w świetle encykliki Benedykta XVI „Spe salvi”

Abstract

On the feast of St Andrew the Apostle, on November 30 2007 His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI promulgated the encyclical letter Spe salvi. The papal document is a proclamation of the Gospel of hope. Life devoid of hope is the most acute problem of modern times. Benedict XVI, reading this „sign of the times” points to the need of regaining hope, as it is hope only that gives meaning to human life and history. Sending the message of hope he emphasizes that man may find the lost hope only in God who is a certain and lasting foundation of every man's great hope. In the present paper Christianity’s hopeful credibility is shown in the light of Benedict XVI’s encyclical letter Spe salvi. The issue is shown in the following paragraphs: 1. Anti-hopeful atmosphere of modern times; 2. Hope revealed in Jesus Christ; 3. Hopeful character of the Christian testimony. The message of hope proclaimed by the Church allows modern man to overcome his despair, his doubt about the meaning of life, the lack of perspectives in his life, especially in the ultimate dimension. Christian hope helps man to be liberated from the feeling of hopelessness and from the lack of a vision of the future. Christianity’s hopeful credibility is realized by the testimony given by Christ’s confessors. The testimony becomes credible when Christians live with the hope they are given by God in their everyday lives. They are God’s sign for the world through their sensibility to those situations that may deprave man of hope. The message of hope is convincing for the world when Christians’ life is marked with faithful waiting for their final meeting with Christ who will come in glory.