On the Precept of Hope

Note: "Christian Princes can permit to Jews, pagans, or heretics liberty of conscience only because of the good of Religion and because of hope of conversion, but not because of temporal advantage.... But the Church, and any supreme Prince, can rightly compel Jews and pagan subjects to hear our faith." L. 18. Likewise infidels can be compelled "not to impede the faith of Christ." But "in no way are they to be compelled to the faith so that they themselves believe, because to believe belongs to the will." S. Th. 2. 2. q. 10, aa. 8, 10, 11; q. 11, aa. 3, 4; q. 12, a. 2; E. M. 369.

What is hope? - Hope is an act of the will by which, with a love of concupiscence, we desire God and divine things for ourselves before all other desirable things, and by which from the helping power of God and fidelity in promises we certainly and most firmly expect future blessedness and the means for attaining it. Hence the primary material object of hope is God and eternal blessedness, but the secondary is the divine help of grace and our good works. The formal object of hope, according to its various acts or formalities, of love and desire, of elevation of soul and effort of the will toward overcoming difficulties, and finally of confidence, is the respective goodness of God, the helping power of God, the fidelity of God in promises. "Hope," says S. Th. 2. 2. q. 17, a. 6 ad 3 and ad 8, "makes one tend toward God as toward a certain final good to be attained, and as toward a certain efficacious help for assisting." - Heb. 6:18, 19; Trid. s. 6, c. 31; Struggl, q. 3, nn. 1, 2, 3; q. 4, n. 2; Theol. Wirceb., n. 233 seqq.; Laymann, l. 2, tr. 2, c. 1, n. 6; S. Th. 3, D. 26, q. 1, 2; de Virtut., q. 7 un., de Spe, aa. 1, 3; 1. 2. q. 40; 2. 2. q. 18, aa. 1, 4; L. 20, 21; E. M. 370.

What are the sins opposed to hope? - By reason of love, the first act of hope, there is opposed to it the hatred of abomination of God, by which someone abominates God as hostile to himself because of vengeance for sins, or by which someone is turned away from God, eternal blessedness, and wishes to place his happiness in some other thing than in God. Hence it is also a mortal sin opposed to hope, to love earthly things more with a love of concupiscence than heavenly things; e.g., if someone is so disposed that he desires to remain perpetually in this life, and to leave heaven to God, if God leaves earth to him.

By reason of hope, the other act of the virtue of hope, there is opposed to it flight from God because of the labor and difficulty of attaining him, and despair and presumption. The former is voluntary diffidence of obtaining blessedness and the means necessary for attaining it. But the latter is an inordinate confidence of obtaining blessedness without the means ordained by God. Presumption is chiefly committed if you presume to obtain eternal life by the proper powers of nature without the help of grace; if you expect it without penance, without labor, from the mercy of God alone; if you expect it above your proper disposition, according to the order of divine providence, e.g., if you should wish to surpass the Blessed Virgin Mary in holiness and glory. Struggl, q. 3, nn. 11, 14-16; Suarez, d. 1, ss. 2, 3; S. Th. 2. 2. q. 20; q. 21; L. 20, 21.

Is there smallness of matter in sins against hope? - R. Negatively as to hatred of God and love of creatures, if the act is perfect, as is clear of itself. R. Negatively as to despair, if it is perfect and properly such; for it is most greatly injurious to the divine Mercy. Eph. 4:19. Otherwise, however, if it is imperfect and improperly such, as often happens in sadness and impatience. But here it must be noted that even devout souls are sometimes troubled by almost continuous temptations of despair. It is certainly not easily to be believed that they have sinned gravely, although they think they have given consent to them; just as excessive fear about the danger of salvation must not be confused with despair properly so called. - R. Affirmatively as to presumption, although it is grave from its genus. Bonacina, cited by La-Croix 128, teaches that he sins only venially who from presumption concerning the goodness of God would sin venially, or would defer doing penance concerning a mortal sin until the following day. - Suarez, d. 2, s. 3; S. Th. 2. 2. q. 20, aa. 1, 3; L. 20.

Is it a sin against hope, from weariness, to wish for death?

R. Negatively per se, because it is not to recede from God as from the last end; nor generally is it a grave sin, but only venial, unless there is express rebellion against the order of divine Providence. Cf. 386.

Is it presumption to sin under hope of pardon, or to persevere in sin from the same hope of pardon? - "It must be said that to sin with the purpose of persevering in sin under hope of pardon pertains to presumption, and this does not diminish but increases the sin." S. Th. 2. 2. q. 21, a. 2 ad 3. Say the same of him who sins or increases sins, or perseveres in sin from hope of pardon, as from the motive or reason of sinning; namely because God forgives sins, or as easily forgives ten sins as five, now or at the end of life. But it is not presumption to sin from passion and frailty with hope of pardon to be received sometime, and with the purpose of repenting, and in this way obtaining remission of sins; even if this act of hope, whether it is preceding or concomitant, removes a greater fear of sin, and is per accidens an occasion of sinning more freely. Indeed, this "diminishes the sin, because through this he seems to have a will less firmly fixed on sinning." S. Th. l. c. And indeed "while someone actually wills to sin or actually sins, it is good to hope for pardon of the sin and to propose afterward to repent." Struggl, q., n. 17; La-Croix 126; L. 21.

Is it presumption to commit the same sin several times, because committed several times it is as easily accused as once? R. Negatively. The reason is that then someone does not sin from the facility of obtaining pardon, but from the facility of confessing, although this is an altogether depraved disposition. La-Croix 127.

Is hope necessary? Is fear also necessary? R. To the first. Hope in adults is required by necessity of means for salvation. For man cannot arrive at obtaining God, his last end, unless by his own acts and merits he tends toward him; but this cannot happen without hope. The just need hope so that they can ask for grace for persevering. Sinners need hope so that they may be disposed to justification. If faith is necessary by necessity of means, hope also is necessary by necessity of means. The Apostle derives the necessity of faith from the things to be hoped for. Heb. 11:1, 6; Col. 1:23. It is also established from Trid. s. 6, C. 1, 13.

Hope is necessary also by necessity of precept. For there is given a true precept of eliciting acts of hope some times in life. This is established from proposition 1 condemned by Alexander VII. When and in what way the precept of hope urges must be determined by the same rules which we established above concerning faith. Cf. 354. Moreover, as for the precept of faith, so for the precept of hope no anxiety is to be had practically. For virtual hope suffices for fulfilling it, by praying, receiving the sacraments, exercising other pious works. But those who are lacking in it, since this is ordinarily done without advertence, ought to have no disturbance concerning the past. Yet sin because of omission of acts of faith, hope, charity is easily understood in a man, for example, who confesses that he has lived forgetful of God and Religion, or who confesses that he has prayed nothing, and for a notable time has not approached the sacrament of penance. Suarez, d. 2, s. 1, n. 3; Struggl, q. 3, n. 7 seqq.; S. Th. 2. 2. q. 22, a. 1; L. 20; E. M. 376.