Hope

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It is something without which many of us would simply die when any kind of pain, spirtiual, mental, emotional, and/or physical overwhelms us
 
Trishie said:
It is something without which many of us would simply die when any kind of pain, spirtiual, mental, emotional, and/or physical overwhelms us
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Thank you, Trishie, but have you answered my question? You have told me of the benefits or effects of hope. You have told me what hope does. I’m asking what hope is.
 
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

–St. Paul (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)
 
Socrates4Jesus said:
How should one define it?
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Hi Soc,

Welcome back to CAF.

I like to use the definition found in the CCC:
1817 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. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
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How does this work for you?
 
davidv said:
Hi Soc,

Welcome back to CAF.

I like to use the definition found in the CCC:

Quote:
1817 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. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

How does this work for you?
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Hi, David. Thanks for welcoming me back.

Looking at this definition, I see two statements:

(a)

Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness

and

(b)

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.

I’d like to consider (b) first. Do you think (b) is defining hope or something else?
 
Perhaps a clearer way to phrase the question:

Do you think (b) is explaining what hope is or why one hopes?
 
Socrates4Jesus said:
(b)

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.
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Perhaps a clearer way to phrase the question:

Do you think (b) is explaining what hope is or why one hopes?
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Neither. I think it is explaining “how” one hopes.
 
Socrates4Jesus said:
How should one define it?
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I think a concise statement might be: Hope is a belief in the possibility of happiness.

As Christians that hope is placed in specific truths revealed to us by God through our Church, having recognized that no earthly things can satisfy that innate desire for beatitude.
 
davidv said:
Neither. I think it is explaining “how” one hopes.
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Do you David mean say that (b) is describing becoming or being?

In other words, is it your opinion that (b) is explaining how to change from a state of hopelessness to a state of hopefulness, or do you mean (b) is explaining how one knows when he is actually in a state of being hopeful?
 
One other way to ask it:

Is (b) the cause or the effect of hope?
 
fhansen said:
I think a concise statement might be: Hope is a belief in the possibility of happiness.

As Christians that hope is placed in specific truths revealed to us by God through our Church, having recognized that no earthly things can satisfy that innate desire for beatitude.
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Thank you, Fhansen.

In the passage i quoted from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul appears to be making a distinction between hope and faith. Would you say that faith is the same or different from hope?

That is, would you say faith is

(c) the belief in the certainty of happiness

or would you define faith some other way?
 
Socrates4Jesus said:
Thank you, Fhansen.

In the passage i quoted from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul appears to be making a distinction between hope and faith. Would you say that faith is the same or different from hope?

That is, would you say faith is

(c) the belief in the certainty of happiness

or would you define faith some other way?
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I don’t know. Hope seems to be halfway between desire and belief whereas faith would be the ability to believe in what one hopes for. From the Christian perspective I believe both virtues are supernaturally enabled although not contrary to or without reason.
 
fhansen said:
I don’t know. Hope seems to be halfway between desire and belief whereas faith would be the ability to believe in what one hopes for. From the Christian perspective I believe both virtues are supernaturally enabled although not contrary to or without reason.
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I don’t know for certain either. Maybe it will help if i make sure i understand you so we might find the truth together.

If i were to say, “I believe that you can carry me across the Niagara Falls on a tightrope,” then you might misunderstand me. For the word believe has several meanings:

(d) To think that something is true
(e) To know that something is true
(f) To put one’s trust in what she knows is true

So, when you say

Hope seems to be halfway between desire and belief …

i do not know whether you mean belief in the sense of (d), (e) or (f).
 
Socrates4Jesus said:
(c) the belief in the certainty of happiness

or would you define faith some other way?
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**Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Heb 11:1 **

Certainty is not a bad word for it-if not too strong in a sense- but faith is definitely stronger in certainty than hope IMO. Hope probably can’t exist without at least some faith-hope is an endowment enabling us to believe in and want want the right things while faith is a conviction about the reality of those things. Maybe I already said that. Interesting questions for me in any case.
 
fhansen said:
**Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Heb 11:1 **

Certainty is not a bad word for it-if not too strong in a sense- but faith is definitely stronger in certainty than hope IMO. Hope probably can’t exist without at least some faith-hope is an endowment enabling us to believe in and want want the right things while faith is a conviction about the reality of those things. Maybe I already said that. Interesting questions for me in any case.
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Agreed. My Bible puts the same verse this way:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Perhaps hope is desire for the truth and faith is knowledge of the truth?

Consider this example . . .
 
I might say, “I know you can carry me across the Niagara Falls on a tightrope,” and yet have no desire your you to do so. In this case, I might have faith in your ability but do not hope to put that ability to the test.

Here’s another example:

A criminal sentenced to life in prison might have faith that this fate is certain, but have no hope that it will come to pass. Rather than hope for such an outcome, he might dread it. Rather than hope, he fears that for which he has faith will happen to him.
 
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