Hope
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can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” In the context
of the Christian life, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
says this: “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom
of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in
Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help
of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1817) So our hope is heaven,
and that God’s will will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew
6:10) The Catechism says, “Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer,
especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads
us to desire.” (CCC 1820)
We must never lose hope. The opposite of hope is despair. The Catechism
warns of this sin against hope. “By despair, man ceases to hope
for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness
of his sins. Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to his justice
– for the Lord is faithful to his promises – and to his mercy.”(CCC 2091)
The Catechism also warns of another sin against hope: presumption.
“There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his
own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on
high), or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or his mercy (hoping
to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit).
(CCC 2092)
5:5 – “…hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to
us.”
For further study:
CCC 1817-1821
CCC 2090-2092