Believing – in a World Without a Compass

A reflection on Rom. 12:12: “Be joyful in hope, steadfast in tribulation, persevering in prayer.”

Message of the Rector Major Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB

Let’s pause for a moment on these few words. Let’s read them again slowly, allowing each one to find its place within us: joyful … steadfast … persevering. These are brief words, written by Paul to the community in Rome, yet they contain an entire journey. They’re offered as cardinal points for those who fear they’ve lost their way.

How many today feel this bewilderment. We live in an age rich in possibilities, knowledge, and instruments, yet often poor in shared points of reference. We’re constantly bombarded by information, proposals, and promises of happiness, and we struggle to distinguish what endures from what passes away. Everything is in acceleration. Uncertainty grows, and life becomes fragmented. Something within us weakens: the capacity to wait, to persevere, and to entrust ourselves.

Paul doesn’t offer us a formula that consoles us for a fleeting moment; he gives us a rule of life. He doesn’t ask us to flee the world, but to inhabit it with a heart that’s rightly oriented. Hope, steadfastness, and prayer — interwoven like a three-strand cord that’s not easily broken.

Joyful in hope

Be joyful in hope. The first word is an invitation to joy — not to a superficial cheerfulness, but to that quiet joy born of a certainty: God is faithful. Our lives have meaning. No situation, however dark, is beyond the reach of his saving hand.

Let’s allow this certainty to sink deep within us. History isn’t a random succession of events; our existence isn’t consigned to a void. We walk toward a fulfillment that we don’t construct alone: ​​we receive it as a promise; we welcome it as a gift. Precisely for this reason, hope doesn’t divert us from our daily commitments; indeed, it restores them to us so we can live them with greater freedom and responsibility.

Those who hope can sow even when they don’t yet see the harvest — loving without possessing and serving without seeking a reward. Hope unbinds us from the anxiety of “wanting it all and wanting it right now” and educates us to a fruitful, patient, and trusting form of waiting, like that of the farmer who steadfastly awaits the precious fruit of the earth.

To be joyful in hope, then, means safeguarding in our hearts a joy that can endure even through tears. It’s the joy of those who know that evil will not have the final word. It’s a humble joy that is sometimes silent, yet one that rests upon a rock: the presence of God.

Steadfast in tribulation

Christian hope doesn’t preclude tribulation. It promises no one a life free of trials. It asks something of us that is both humbler and greater: to remain steadfast amid the trial.

Steadfastness is the quiet strength of those who remain faithful when the path becomes an uphill climb. It means not abandoning what’s good simply because it demands time, sacrifice, and patience. When everything around us urges us to cast aside whatever doesn’t yield immediate satisfaction, the believer bears witness to the value of faithfulness in relationships, in one’s vocation, in service, in education, and in the pursuit of justice.

Tribulation wears many faces, and each of us is familiar with some of them: illness, loneliness, failure, misunderstandings, a crisis of faith, and the struggle of accompanying those who suffer. Then there are the tribulations that weigh upon entire peoples: war, poverty, forced migration, violence, inequality, and a lack of faith in the future. Faced with all this, the disciple can’t turn away his or her gaze. Indifference isn’t a Gospel path.

Steadfastness, in the light of the Gospel, thus becomes presence: the mature capacity to stand alongside those who suffer, not running away. It’s the courage to defend human dignity when no one else seems to see it. It’s faithfulness to the Gospel even when its message appears weak, inconvenient, or at odds with prevailing fads.

Persevering in prayer

But from where do hope and steadfastness come? Not from willpower alone. They require a deeper source, and Paul names it: perseverance in prayer. Without prayer, hope risks being reduced to naive optimism, and steadfastness to senseless obstinacy. In prayer, however, we gratefully acknowledge that we’re sustained in life by God.

To pray is to return, each day, to the Source. In silence and by listening to the Word, we learn to distinguish what’s urgent from what’s truly important. Prayer isn’t a magic wand that changes circumstances; it’s the sacred space where God changes us. He transforms our perspective, illuminates our hearts, and teaches us to interpret history not starting from our fears, but in the light of his fidelity.

To persevere in prayer means remaining steadfast even during times of dryness, distraction, or silence when no consolation comes our way. It’s precisely then that prayer is purified: we choose to trust in God for who he is, and not merely for what he gives.

Persevering prayer thus becomes a relationship, surrender, and an openness to God’s will. It doesn’t lock us away in a private, interior sphere. A true encounter with God always matures into a call to encounter our brothers and sisters: the poor, disoriented youths, wounded families, and those who’ve lost hope. True prayer opens our eyes, educates us to compassion, and leads to service.

A compass for our times

In a world without a compass, Christians don't claim to possess all the answers. Rather, they simply bear witness to having found a direction, one that has a Face and a Name: Christ, in whom suffering is traversed by love and death opens onto resurrection.

The believers don't arrogantly impose certainties. They offer a credible witness: they’re joyful without being naive, steadfast without becoming rigid, and prayerful without withdrawing from reality. Through their life, they show that another way of living is possible.

Amid the disorientation of our times, Paul hands us a compass that is both simple and profound. Let’s hold it in our hands and allow it to guide our steps: hoping with joy, persevering with love, and praying without growing weary.