Title I: The Notion, Necessity, and Use of Hope

I. Notion. — Hope is a theological virtue by which, relying on the goodness, omnipotence, and fidelity of God in His promises, we are raised in soul to a certain expectation of beatitude and consequently of the means which are necessary for obtaining it. Hope formally consists in that elevation of soul and firm expectation. But we do not hope except for what we have known as desirable and possible of attainment, although difficult. Wherefore hope is said to be of a future, arduous, possible good (St. Thomas, Q. De Spe, art. 1). The infinite perfection of God, by which He Himself supremely befits the creature, declares that He is supremely concupiscible. At the same time, however, He is in Himself altogether inaccessible to us, so that hope of possessing God must rest in no way upon our own powers or actions, but wholly upon divine assistance. Therefore the formal object of hope, or the motive on which it rests, is the Omnipotence of God, His Supreme relative Goodness, and His fidelity in promises. But our merits, if we are adults, are a condition appended to the attainment of the thing hoped for. Moreover, he hopes more perfectly who, in the state of grace, actually has merits than he who only proposes to acquire future ones (St. Thomas, 1, 2, q. 65, art. 4). Eternal beatitude, or God beatifying, is the primary material object of hope; the means or necessary aids are its secondary material object. That beatitude directly terminates hope as it is objective, or God to be possessed in Himself; yet at the same time, in oblique, the subjective happiness of His possession is intended.

But God is not desired by the one hoping as a means of enjoying another good, but as the very good which the one hoping desires to enjoy; and love of God as relatively good by no means excludes the love by which we love God for His own sake; just as the divine amiability as to us by no means removes, but presupposes, the infinite amiability of God in Himself and for His own sake.

Hope presupposes faith: what we hope and why we hope must suitably be apprehended; theologically I cannot expect what theologically I do not know. It is begun in a theological affection or love of its primary object, or of God, insofar as He is discerned by the light of faith and is believed to be our supreme good, infinitely to be sought. Hope formally gives us a true ambition, proportioned to the thing, for this good. Insofar as we raise ourselves to attaining so arduous a good, hope is an outstanding magnanimity of the Christian; insofar as we dare this, relying on the divine promise and trusting in God, hope is glorious to God; insofar as by free will we cooperate with the inviting grace of God, hope is of the greatest merit for us.

Through hope we participate in the immutable will by which God loves and wills His beatitude; indeed it confers upon us a certain anticipated possession of so great a beatitude; in which sense Paul called us "rejoicing in hope" (Rom. 12, 12). On the part of God, the attainment of the hoped-for good is certain: hence the firmness of hope; on our part, it can fail per accidens: hence the fear and trembling with which, from the Apostle (Phil. 2, 12), our salvation is to be worked out by us.

Confidence itself is "hope strengthened from some firm opinion"; it is a certain mode and perfection of hope (2, 2, q. 129, art. 6, ad 3).

The various things which are controverted concerning the material and formal object of hope we leave to dogmatic lectures.

II. Necessity of Hope. — Without hope there can be no charity, since it is repugnant to our nature that we love what in no way is our good. Therefore both the habit of hope is an essential part of justification for every man, and the act of hope has, in an adult, necessity both of means and of precept.

This precept obliges per se, or from the virtue of hope: 1. At the beginning of moral life, as a part of voluntary conversion to God, our end (thus St. Thomas, 1, 2, q. 89, art. 6; but cf. Ballerini-Palmieri, II, 122); - 2. For recovering the habit of hope which has been lost through an act of despair or one repugnant to hope; - 3. For overcoming a temptation of despair, if it is a necessary means; - 4. As many wish, around the end of life, when a conscious man, by an almost necessary inclination, will aspire to heaven, unless he contemns heaven; - 5. Sometimes in life. How often? This cannot be defined. But in fulfilling the duties of Christian life, acts sufficient in number will not be lacking. Cf. the things said concerning faith.

The same precept of hope obliges by accident: 1. As often as acts are imposed which contain a virtual use of hope: prayer, penance, charity; - 2. When a tempted man is in proximate danger of consent, unless he raises his soul by hope: if, however, he is conscious of this connection.

— Detractors of the Catholic faith preach a gratuitous love of virtue, and deny the true moral honesty of an action which is commanded by fear of hell or hope of eternal reward. In this attack of theirs, first, they are shamefully deceived concerning the true nature of hope and fear. They entirely pass over the theological essence of hope; they hold as vulgar cupidity the sublime participation of anticipated divine beatitude; the desired good or reward they thrust down to a certain supreme but vulgar delight, while there is question of the very intrinsic and supernatural perfection of man; they suppose the affection to be human, while it is a communication of that most holy love by which God loves His own beatitude. Then they are ignorant, or pretend to be ignorant, that in Catholic doctrine fear servilely servile is not made honorable, but only that fear which excludes affection for sin; nor is hope praised, or indeed able to subsist, with the exclusion of the superior motive which is love. But by their preaching of gratuitous virtue, they sin against human nature, which by an invincible tendency can love nothing unless it is in some way its own good; logically they would have to condemn all social institutions which, in order to restrain the wicked and stimulate the good, promise penalties for delicts and a just reward for good deeds. Wherefore their preaching is shown to be perfectly sterile.

How much more happily that outstanding exhorter of most perfect charity, St. Paul, keeps the eyes of the Christian athlete intent on the heavenly prize, while he inculcates to him faith which works through charity. Hence R. P. Bover, S.I. (La ascetica de S. Pablo, p. 90), commends this formula of action as Pauline: "Faith works through charity on account of hope."

— I. Hope is a theological virtue by which, relying on the goodness, omnipotence, and fidelity of God in His promises, we are raised in soul to a certain expectation of beatitude, and consequently of the means which are required for obtaining it. In that elevation of soul and firm expectation, hope formally consists. The relative assisting Goodness of God, His Omnipotence and Fidelity in promises, constitute its formal object. God beatifying, connoting the beatific vision, is its primary material object, while the secondary consists in the necessary means or aids. Hope presupposes faith and is begun in the theological affection or love of God (imperfect charity). It is at the same time glorious to God, magnanimous and meritorious for us. On the part of God, the attainment of the hoped-for good is certain; on our part, per accidens, it can fail.

Confidence is a certain mode and perfection of hope, insofar as it is hope strengthened from some firm opinion.

II. Since without hope there can be no charity, its habit is an essential part of justification; and its act has, in the adult, necessity of means and of precept.

III. The precept obliges per se and by accident, almost as was said concerning faith, except that the obligation of an act of hope immediately from the use of reason is controverted. Cf. Ballerini-Palmieri, II, 122.

IV. Since we wish to enjoy God Himself, and the love of God as good to us by no means excludes, but indeed prepares, love of God for His own sake, hope can fall under no reproach. The preachers of gratuitous love of virtue are deceived by ignorance, and sin against human nature.