Hope is the second virtue present in the list of the three theological virtues. The other two virtues are faith and charity, which are also famous by the name of love.
The logical virtue of hope has its object union with God in the afterlife. That is why many people say that it is a supernatural virtue, which is unlike cardinal virtues and clearly cannot be practiced by those who do not believe in God.
Like all the virtues, it is considered to be a habit and is also considered to be a gift of God through his grace.
Meaning and Significance
The concise Catholic dictionary has defined and gave their definition of hope. The following lines are taken from their dictionary:
The theological virtue which is a supernatural gift bestowed by God through which one trusts God will grant eternal life and the means of obtaining it providing one who cooperates. It is composed of desire and expectation together with a recognition of the difficulty to be overcome in achieving eternal life.
So, the second virtue of virtue does not imply any belief that salvation is easy.
It tells that it is just the opposite. We people have virtue in the almighty because we are all certain of the fact that we cannot achieve salvation through our efforts.
By the grace of God, which is freely given to us, it becomes necessary for all of us to do what we need to do for achieving the eternal life and divinity after death.
Quotes of Virtue
Some famous quotes about the second virtue of theology, are given below:
1. “For in virtue we were saved. Now virtue that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees?” (Romans 8:24)
2. “The Christian who hopes seeks God for himself or herself. In technical language, the formal object of theological virtue is God-as-possessed.”[7]
3. “Trust perfectly in the grace which is offered you in the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Peter, 1:13)
4. “I know well the plans I have in mind for you says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for woe to give you a future of virtue” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Why do people believe in Hope?
Virtue is considered to be the gift of baptism. People believe that the theological virtue of faith normally precedes baptism in the case of adults.
But it is also believed by John Harden according to his notes of the modern Catholic dictionary that virtue is received at the baptism along with sanctifying the grace.
People also believe that virtue makes a person desire the eternal form of life & also the heavenly vision of the god. It also gives the devotees the additional confidence of receiving the grace, which is necessary for reaching heaven.
Faith is considered to be the perfection of the intellect while the virtue is considered to be an act of the will by the person himself or herself.
Sometimes, it is also defined as all the desires that a person has for his or her good and also all the things which can help the individual in bringing them close to God.
So, it should be clear in the mind that the god is considered to be the final material object of virtue and also other good things which can help in individuals to grow in the process of sanctification and become the intermediate materials and objects of virtue.
It is a Gift of Optimism
Talking in the most basic sense, the people have hope because the almighty God has granted all the people the grace for having the virtue.
But the virtue is considered to be your habit and desire. It is also considered to be infused virtue. The people can reject the virtue for free will.
But it should be kept in the mind that the decisions should not visit virtue as it is added by the faith with the help of which anyone can understand that the God is omnipotent & also the level of his goodness. It also tells us that he fulfilled his promises along with his fidelity.
Faith is something that also perfects the intellect. It strengthens the will of a person and increases the desire of the object of faith which forms the essence of virtue.
Once a person comes in the possession of that particular object, and has entered heaven, then this particular virtue is no longer necessary by the individual.
So all the Saints, who enjoy the beautiful vision do not have virtue in the next life as their virtue has been already fulfilled by God.
Saint Paul has said that for we are the people who are saved by virtue. But that which is seen is not virtue. As what a man sees, then why does he virtue for.
Likewise, the people who do not have any possibility of the union with God go to hell. These people can no longer have virtue.
The virtue of hope belongs only to those people who are always struggling to the full Union with God and man and also the women. All the people, who are present on this earth and in the purgatory are considered to be the ones who have virtue.
Hope is Salvation
It is considered to be a very necessary element for salvation. It is no longer necessary for those people who have achieved salvation and is also not possible for those who have rejected the means of salvation.
It becomes very necessary for all those people who are working salvation out of fear and also trembling.
God does not remove the arbitrary gift of the virtue from the souls of the people but he takes note of the actions of the people and also holds the power of destroying that particular gift.
If a person loses his or her fate, then he or she no longer has a ground for virtue. In other words, we can say that the belief in the importance of God, his goodness, and also his Fidelity to what he has promised is removed from the minds of the people.
If a person continues to believe in God but has a doubt in his mind about the importance of God & his goodness or fidelity, then all those individual people have fallen into the sin of despair which is considered to be the exact opposite of the phrase.
If a person does not repent out of despair, then he rejects it, and with the help of his actions destroys the possibility of Salvation.
Conclusion
Hope is considered to be the second virtue which is present in the list of the various theological virtues. This particular virtue has its subject Union with God in the afterlife.
Because of this particular reason, many people have the belief that it is a Supernatural virtue and cannot be practiced by those people who do not believe in the almighty god.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
How many virtues are present in the holy book of the Bible?
7 virtues are mentioned in the holy book of the Bible. These virtues are also famous by the name of the Seven Heavenly Virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Prudence.
Why is the hope considered to be one of the most important virtues amongst the theological virtues?
It is considered to be one of the most important virtues amongst the different theological virtues because it makes the person believe in god and also in the fact that he will grant them eternal life.
What are the 7 Catholic virtues?
After Pope Gregory released his list of seven deadly sins in AD 590, the seven virtues became identified as chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. Practicing them is said to protect one against temptation from the seven deadly sins.
What are the 3 most important virtues?
Adam Smith, in his important book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, wrote that excellent people have three primary virtues: prudence, justice, and benevolence, in that order. Each of them is essential to the others and to the living of a full life in society.
What are the four moral virtues?
Because of this reference, a group of seven attributes is sometimes listed by adding the four cardinal virtues (prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice) and three theological virtues (faith, hope, charity). Together, they compose what is known as the seven virtues.