Sin against hope

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I confessed something that I thought was a sin against hope only to be told it wasn’t a sin at all. I was doubting that God really knew what he was doing regarding some problems in my life. So if that isn’t a sin against hope then what exactly is a sin against hope? Some examples would be helpful.
 
Hope is the virtuous mean between the two sinful extremes of despair and presumption.
 
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itsjustdave1988:
Hope is the virtuous mean between the two sinful extremes of despair and presumption.
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I don’t have a clue about what you just said.
 
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Holland:
I confessed something that I thought was a sin against hope only to be told it wasn’t a sin at all. I was doubting that God really knew what he was doing regarding some problems in my life. So if that isn’t a sin against hope then what exactly is a sin against hope? Some examples would be helpful.
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I think a sin against Hope is grieving the Holy Spirit.
 
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Holland:
I don’t have a clue about what you just said.
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Examples of sins against hope are: 1) despair, and 2) presumption.

HOPE. The confident desire of obtaining a future good that is difficult to attain. It is therefore a desire, which implies seeking and pursuing; some future good that is not yet possessed but wanted, unlike fear that shrinks from a future evil. This future good draws out a person’s volition. Hope is confident that what is desired will certainly be attained. It is the opposite of despair. Yet it recognizes that the object wanted is not easily obtained and that it requires effort to overcome whatever obstacles stand in the way. (Etym. Latin spes, hope.) [Fr. John Hardon, *Pocket Catholic Dictionary]

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that “To sin with the intention of persevering in sin and through the hope of being pardoned, is presumptuous.” Presumpiton, consequently, is also a sin against hope, as it is called by St. Thomas, “inordinate hope.”
 
I need some real life examples. I think I get the presumption part but I am not as clear on despair.
 
Whether your contention with God is sinful or not depends upon your intention and the manner of your contention. I think you were right in confessing it, as it could very well have been a sin, depending upon the circumstances.

If your contention with God was respectful, and if your intention was not so much to dispute the truth, but to seek the truth, then your contention may have not been sinful.

An example of a pious contention with God is found in the Book of Job. Job had said (13:3): “I will speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.” St. Thomas describes this verse in the following manner: “[Job] intended not to impugn the truth, but to defend it, and in seeking the truth thus, he had no wish to be inordinate in mind or in speech.”

I understand that a “it depends” kind of answer is often unsatisfactory. However, you never are wrong to confess what you think may be a sin. But know that sometimes, a pious contention with God is not necessarily sinful, if done prayerfully and respectfully, so long as you don’t intend to dispute the truth, but instead seek to the know the truth more fully.
 
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Holland:
I need some real life examples. I think I get the presumption part but I am not as clear on despair.
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Sure…

Despair is a lack of hope. In fact the word despair in Latin is desperatio, which implies it is contrary to hope (Latin spes).

Hope is the desire of something together with the confidence in receiving it. Despair is the desire for something yet lacking the confidence in receiving it.

For example, one may be truly sorry for their sins and desire forgiveness, but erroneously believe they cannot be forgiven. That’s despair.
 
I think I got it. Intention is everything. If I would have given those thoughts words then there wouldn’t be any doubt.
 
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Holland:
I think I got it. Intention is everything. If I would have given those thoughts words then there wouldn’t be any doubt.
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Well, one can have unholy contention with the truth without putting words to their thoughts. For example, any obstinant doubt of God’s revelation is a sin, even if it is never expressed in words. Note the word, “obstinant.”

We all struggle with certain aspects of our faith, but being open to seeking the truth is the key, which is necessarily lacking when one is obstinant.
 
Thanks for your help. I have some work ahead of me that’s for sure.
 
Do not, by any means, rely upon a simple priest to tell you what is and what is not a sin. Rely instead upon the teachings of the Church. They are not usually coterminous.
 
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tjmiller:
Do not, by any means, rely upon a simple priest to tell you what is and what is not a sin. Rely instead upon the teachings of the Church. They are not usually coterminous.
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I won’t. Its the first time in my entire life that a priest told me that something I had done wasn’t a sin. It actually felt pretty good. Now my illusion is ruined. :crying: Not really. Its just that I became confused about what a sin against hope actually was when he told me my infraction was not a sin.
 
First Rule I learned as a convert: Ignore the priests.

I have a fatal disorder, and know that I have sinned against Hope many times. In my case, sin vs. Hope meant believing that God had abandoned me to an agonizing, depressing death. That He was no longer there for me. That there was no longer any help. That I was alone in the dark.

Now I realize that my deadly illness is a precious gift, not only in spite of hope, but much more - a graced means of hope.

Consult St. Therese.
 
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