Catholic Identity

What is hope?  How do we put this virtue into practice in our daily lives?  Why is it important that we have hope and never lose it?

Our Catholic Faith teaches us that 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 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1817).

Wow.  What a beautiful and concise definition.  There are different segments of this definition that beg for some explanation and reflection.

Hope is a theological virtue.  What does this mean?  There are three theological virtues, and they are the most important of all virtues.  They are faith, hope, and charity.  They are called “theological” because the gift of receiving and retaining these virtues is a grace from God that comes directly from Him.  Therefore, these virtues are not natural but supernatural, or beyond our natural capabilities.

As you can see from the definition above, hope is first and foremost, oriented toward heaven – eternal life – perfect happiness.  In our day-to-day lives, we hope for many good things:  good health, protection from harm, pleasant weather, good results from hard work, victory in a game or battle, etc.  These hopes are certainly a desire for what is good, and God is Goodness itself, right?  Yet, as we hope for these good things, we ought to never lose sight of the greatest desire of our hope:  salvation and eternal life in heaven with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Question for reflection:  Is God, and eternal life with Him, our greatest desire?  Our greatest hope?

How do we have this desire for God above all?  Our definition above says that this desire for God, this desire for heaven, comes not from our own efforts, but by a special grace from God.  When we ask God for the grace to have hope, He will give it!  He will give us the grace to surrender and place our trust in Him and his promises.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives within the hearts of all the baptized, and who is God himself, we will be given the virtue of hope and all the graces we need to grow in this virtue. 

Hope is symbolized as an anchor.  Anchors are used to keep a boat or a ship safely grounded in shallow waters.  When storms come, when the waters get rough, the boats and ships that are anchored will stay safe and relatively unharmed.  They will not be carried out to sea.  They will not sink when the rain and waves come.  When we have hope, we place our trust in God and his promises and his providence, come what may.  We do not waver.  We are not shaken.

Lord, give us the grace to receive and grow in the virtue of hope this school year.  May you and eternity spent with you always be our greatest desire.  Anchor us and keep us steady as we journey through the sea of life.  Bring us safely to the peaceful harbor of heaven.