“Jesus is present and Jesus is hidden, because he wishes to bring forth in us those actions and virtues, those merits that will render us one day capable of seeing him, worthy to rejoice in him in the fullness of light and life.
“Jesus is present and hidden to teach us to believe, to hope and to love. Jesus trains us in the exercise of faith, of hope and of love, of those theological virtues, that is those virtues that are the ways given to us in the present life to arrive at the final stop of religion: the possession of God.” (My English translation of the Italian original) — Pope Paul VI, 28 May, 1964
The final stop of religion is the possession of God.
We always want that which is good. We always want to possess what we come to know as true and good. Think of it: the real purpose of religion is to bring us to the fullness of the Truth and Goodness, to “possess” God by being in eternal direct relationship with him. The Beatific Vision.
