Posted on 01/13/2017 9:11:47 AM PST by Salvation
In yesterday’s post, we discussed the theological virtue of hope. This is the supernatural virtue whereby we confidently expect God’s help in attaining eternal life. The object of hope is not earthly things (e.g., better health, a higher-paying job), but rather God and the things awaiting us in Heaven. Hope pertains to things that are difficult but not impossible; we do not really need to hope for things that are at hand or easily obtained.
Today, let’s ponder briefly some sins against hope. Expectation of God’s help must be confident and vigorous, but not overly so; careful balance is necessary. Both St. Thomas Aquinas and the Catechism of the Catholic Church identify two sins against hope: despair and presumption.
Despair – 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).
While despair may have many complicated psychological motives, those falling into it ultimately conclude that God cannot or will not save them or give them the graces necessary to obtain the life He offers.
Despair is common today, when we too easily conclude that it is not possible live the holy life to which God summons us. Our modern world considers things like chastity, forgiveness, and self-control to be unrealistic, if not impossible. This is a form of despair because it denies that God’s grace can equip, empower, and enable people to live holy lives.
Hope confidently expects from God the graces necessary to attain to eternal life. Hence this type of despair is a sin against hope.
St. Thomas, in his Summa Theologica, also links despair to the capital sins of lust and sloth:
Lust is linked to despair because bodily pleasures and preoccupations often cause a distaste for spiritual goods. Lust interacts with the flesh and causes us to pine for and prefer bodily goods. It even causes us to perceive that spiritual goods are in competition with bodily pleasures because they setting limits on their satisfaction. Due to lust, we increasingly stop hoping for spiritual goods, despairing of them as problematic or even threatening.
Sloth is linked to despair because there are some who, seeing that something is possible but arduous, become downcast because of the significant effort required to effect change. In this case, they despair through sloth (cf ST II IIae 20.4).
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).
The second form of presumption is evident among many in the house of faith (both Protestant and Catholic). I have written at great length about the common presumption that just about everyone goes to Heaven. At too many funerals, bold “canonizations” take place.
Confident expectation of God’s help is essential to hope, but presumption sins against hope by claiming to have already “in the bag” what God offers us on condition. We must freely accept His transformative grace and by it, attain to the holiness without which no one will see God (Heb 12:14). This requires a profound work of God to take place within us. It is freely and unconditionally offered, but we must fully accept it. Our acceptance will lead to changes that many resist and that God will not force.
Presumption rejects the arduousness of achieving what we hope for by claiming to already “have” what is offered. In this way, presumption sins against hope. Once one has what one hopes for, hope ceases. As St. Paul said, who hopes for what he already has? (Rom 8:24)
Clearly, balance is required. Confidence of salvation, yes; current possession or possession without condition, no. Here is one of the best Scriptures against presumption:
Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart. Say not: “Who can prevail against me?” for the LORD will exact the punishment. Say not: “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?” for the LORD bides his time. Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin. Say not: “Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.” For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath. Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day; For suddenly his wrath flames forth; at the time of vengeance, you will be destroyed. Rely not upon deceitful wealth, for it will be no help on the day of wrath (Sirach 5:1-10).
Here is the Act of Hope, a traditional Catholic prayer:
O God,
relying on Your almighty power
and infinite mercy and promises,
I hope to obtain
pardon for my sins,
the help of Your grace,
and life everlasting,
through the merits of Jesus Christ,
my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
Monsignor Pope Ping!
Mnsgr Pope and I are on the very same page today! LOL!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3513591/posts?page=7
I even cited St. Thomas Aquinas! :-)
It needs to be repeated often, because the words “faith” and “hope” are both constantly misapplied to earthly things and events. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve heard people speak of the need to have “faith” or “hope” that Obama would not be able to do this or that.
“The object of hope is not earthly things (e.g., better health, a higher-paying job), but rather God and the things awaiting us in Heaven. Hope pertains to things that are difficult but not impossible; “
this seems to contradict.
If hope is to be in God and things awaiting us in heaven and NOT of earthly things, as Monsignor says in first sentence, then why would hope pertain to things that are difficult but not impossible?
God and heaven are not difficult and nothing of God is impossible.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 5:24. NASB
Difficult for us alone, perhaps?
But not difficult if we ask God’s help.
**hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me**
Key words: hear the Word of God and believe wholly in God.
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree along the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples [righteous persons] saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer.” - Matt. 21
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. - James 5:16 NLT
There is a very real power here that we as humans do not even begin to understand, and for the most part deny to our detriment. While all earnest prayer is effective, the scriptures plainly tell us that the prayers of the righteous are much more so - and that's something to we all need to think about, and work toward.
“why would hope pertain to things that are difficult but not impossible?”
Well, chastity might be difficult but not impossible for some, who could hope for the graces they need to achieve it.
“While all earnest prayer is effective”
Just had a scare with my daughter. She had some positive indications for an auto-immune disease. Monday she had blood drawn to test for thyroid problems and lupus.
The word “righteous” appears nowhere in my Indian name, but you can believe there was some earnest praying going on.
Got a call today that those tests came back negative.
Skeptics will say that no link is established between action and outcome. Still, it came out this way in the universe that God created, and I am relieved beyond words.
Deus meus, I repent of all my sins with my entire heart. I detest these sins, not only because they deserve punishment under your just laws, but because each of them offended You, Sum of all Good, who deserves all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to flee the near occasion of sin. Amen.
So glad to hear your good news!!
One of my daily prayers if for the Almighty's help in overcoming my own tendency to sin, which I confess is a major struggle for me.
God bless you for sharing! :)
Key words: hear the Word of God and believe wholly in God.
You're saying the entire promise Christ made is not key??
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24. NASB
This is one of the greatest promises in the NT.
It is the Gospel.
This is the promise of eternal life. It is predicated upon faith...not works.
The result of hearing the Word and believing Him is passing out of death into eternal life. It's a promise. There's no losing it.
The question is...who among us today will believe the promise made by Christ?
I for one believe His promise.
bkmk
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