As quoted [1]:
"The expression 'God of hope' does not just mean that God is the object of our hope. He is, the one we hope to reach one day in eternal life. It also means that God is the One who has already given us hope, and even more makes us "happy in hope." Having happiness in the moments of hope, and not only hoping to be happy. And having joy in hoping and not only hoping to be joyful today.”
The words above are Bergolio's. Rather than hope, and having joy in hoping, why not simply accept what one has and does not have? Hope arises out of pride because one refuses to accept what is. Lofty and unattainable hopes can cause disappointments; acceptance, on the other hand, stems from humility and leads to interior peace.
The word "hope" is the current theme coming out of the Vatican, replacing "mercy". It mentions a "'God of hope.'" [2] This blogger is not a Bible scholar and has does not know when Christ had asked people to hope when the two most important commandments are to love God and neighbor [3], not to hope for this and that.
Moreover, it is unproductive for anyone to think about and unilaterally hope for eternal life. Eternal life is the fruit of a partnership between God and man. To the partnership, man needs to bring his humility, his faith and his love while God has already in place mercy, forgiveness and love waiting for man to join.
A previous post asserted that a prayer is not a hope. This entry reiterates it. If prayer were a hope, then the prayer of Christ would not be: "'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will'" (note Jesus' words of humility: "if it is possible") [4]. Instead, it would be prideful, and would probably sound more like this: "Father, I hope you will let this cup pass from me--just as I hope, not as you will."
To Bergolio's "'God of Hope'" Bergolio could possibly pray this prayer without any hint of humility: "I am so happy, now that I am hoping, because when I hope I get to tell you what I want done, not as you will. Oh, and by the way, I also hope to reach eternal life." This prayer is only one-sixth as good as the pope's words quoted at the beginning since there are only three words referencing "hope" in two sentences compared to nine in four.
It is hopeless for this blogger to hope to be as masterful as the pope and that is just one reason why he does not like to hope but simply leaves it up to God.
[1] http://www.romereports.com/2017/05/31/pope-be-happy-in-hoping-don-t-only-hope-to-be-happy
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22 at 34-40.
[4] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26 at 39.
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