Years ago when I worked in the political field before the seminary and religious life, a co-worker who was in a time of personal turmoil asked me, “It’s true that things always work out and turn out well in life, right?”  My response, “yes,” was an expression of confidence intertwined with doubt. On the outside I maintained a facade of certainty, but on the inside I felt unsure and lacked clarity. My co-worker seemed pleased with my reassurance, but I wonder if she was unconvinced. Like most people, we both hoped for a good future with some assurance of happiness.  Looking back, it seems a primary motive for the question and others like it, is insecurity or uncertainty about the future.
 
In the second reading today, from the letter to the Romans, St. Paul gives us a memorable verse from the New Testament: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
 
Some might think that the verse offers an easy solution for dealing with the future or is a superficial form of consolation as we face complicated situations and a future with many challenges. Although we wish that everything in life turns out well, our experience shows us another reality, that life can be hard and that sometimes the future is not always what we expect. However, Paul the Apostle speaks with faith and hope because he believes that the love of God is greater than his own doubts and fears.
 
The perspective of St. Paul is not a fantasy or a denial of reality, including our times with so many difficulties that do not appear to have easy solutions. The Apostle resonates with confidence in God about the present and things to come because he has struggled against evil, made many sacrifices and overcome much opposition. He knows that the Lord has been there for him and with him. His words are not empty but full of hope. Hope, not optimism.
 
In trusting that God will make things work for good, St. Paul does not claim to know or predict the future. Rather, since God has been so merciful to him, he is convinced that the Lord will provide for his needs, especially the greatest need of all: salvation.  Paul teaches us that we as Christians must view the world and all things that happen from another perspective, we must view all through the lens of God’s love.
 
In his encyclical from 2007, Spe Salvi (Saved in Hope), Pope emeritus Benedict XVI addresses this distinct perspective that we must hold to when he writes, “Here too we see as a distinguishing mark of Christians the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness.”
 
We are talking about a distinct knowledge: knowing that God loves us and that in him we find salvation and in him we have our destiny. This is knowledge, freely given and openly taught. In  chapter 14 of the Gospel according to John, Christ Jesus clearly explains that he is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” The difficulty in following him does not have to do with secret or restricted access, but the restrictions we impose upon our love.
 
A noted spiritual writer of our time, Father Ron Rolheiser, writes, “Jesus has no hidden secrets, only open secrets that we fail to grasp.” His way is an open invitation to us, an invitation to live and to hope. His invitation is an expression of his love.
 
If we believe that good will prevail, that good will become reality, will we recognize it when it comes? Jesus Christ has demonstrated on numerous occasions that the good exists and is already present in the world and in our own lives. He has no interest in secrets; he is truth, he is mercy.
 
More than just believing Christ, the hour has come to follow him and love him. The time is now for convincing ourselves and those around us that the Lord guides us towards the future because he loves us in the here and now and always.