Main news for 3 January 2026

Paul calls faith that which, having previously remained invisible, now reveals itself. Of course, if by faith he meant some theological concept or even simply a worldview, this phrase would sound mysterious. But judging by the context, by faith the author of the letter understands, first of all, unconditional faithfulness to God and to the covenant once concluded with Him. With this understanding of faith, much becomes clearer. Of course, if we based our hopes only on something human, even deep faith, these hopes would still hang in the air: for the course of history would hardly change radically because of our faith, even the deepest, and the Kingdom would not draw one iota closer to us.

Faithfulness to relationships with the One on whom both earthly history and the Kingdom depend is another matter. Such faithfulness truly becomes a pledge that everything promised to us by God, everything we hope for on the basis of His words, will one day truly become the reality of our life. And not simply become so in the future, but is already becoming so: for faithfulness to God also means participation in the fulfillment of His plans, those very plans with which the promises He has given are connected. Our faithfulness becomes His instrument, and then it turns out that the formerly invisible designs of God are being fulfilled and becoming visible, including through our faithfulness. And this faithfulness opens the road into the Kingdom for us, becoming the pledge of the fulfillment of our chief hope.