Lecture 82

82. Hope as a Theological Virtue: Definition and Distinctions

Summary
This lecture examines hope as a theological virtue, breaking down its definition into six constituent parts as presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Berquist explores how hope differs from faith and charity, analyzes its relationship to happiness and desire, and connects hope to prayer, particularly the Our Father and the Beatitudes. The lecture also employs the third and fourth tools of dialectic to compare hope with natural desires like wonder and the natural desire for happiness.

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

  • The Definition of Hope: The catechism’s definition of hope contains six distinct parts that warrant careful analysis
  • Hope Among the Theological Virtues: Why hope is often neglected in comparison to faith (first virtue) and charity (greatest virtue)
  • The Object of Hope: Distinguishing between the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as objects of desire
  • Hope and Happiness: Understanding hope as a desire for beatitude, the chief good of an intellectual creature
  • Hope and Prayer: The connection between hope and the Our Father, showing how prayer both expresses and nourishes hope
  • Natural vs. Supernatural Desire: Comparing hope with natural desires (wonder, natural desire for happiness)
  • Tools of Dialectic Applied: Using the third and fourth tools of dialectic to exercise the mind in understanding these distinctions

Key Arguments #

The Six Parts of Hope’s Definition #

  1. Hope is a theological virtue - It has God himself as its object, which is why it is called “theological”
  2. By which we desire - This distinguishes hope from faith (by which we believe) and charity (by which we love)
  3. The kingdom of heaven and eternal life - The proper objects of hope’s desire, which are intimately related though not identical
  4. As our happiness - We desire these goods as our ultimate end and beatitude, not merely as one good among others
  5. Trusting in the promises of Christ - Hope relies on Christ’s promises as the foundation for its desire
  6. Relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit - Hope depends not on human strength alone but on God’s supernatural assistance

The Relationship Between Kingdom of Heaven and Eternal Life #

  • Eternal life = knowing God face to face (from John 17), emphasizing the life of the mind in vision of God
  • Kingdom of heaven = the ordered society of those who see God face to face, emphasizing the communal aspect
  • Both phrases point to the same reality but illuminate it from different angles
  • The catechism’s use of both terms allows the mind to make connections it would not otherwise make

Connection to the Our Father and Beatitudes #

  • Augustine and Thomas tie hope specifically to the Our Father among the three theological virtues
  • The seven petitions teach both what to ask for and what to desire, ordered according to proper priority
  • “Thy kingdom come” connects beautifully with “kingdom of heaven” as the object of hope
  • The Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount instruct us in what we should hope for and how to attain it

Comparison of Three Desires Using Dialectic #

Wonder (natural desire to know)

  • Desire to know the cause and the why
  • When developed, becomes desire to know the first cause
  • Ultimately a desire for wisdom

Natural Desire for Happiness

  • Innate to all men, placed in human nature by God
  • Discovered through the Ethics: happiness is activity of the soul in accordance with virtue
  • In the highest form: activity of reason in accordance with wisdom (knowing the first cause)

Hope (supernatural desire)

  • Desire for eternal life, which is to know God
  • Desire for this good as one’s ultimate beatitude
  • The catechism speaks of hope as elevating and purifying our natural desire for happiness
  • Removes the desire from seeking happiness in false goods or things that diminish ultimate happiness

The Puzzle: If wonder develops into desire for the first cause, and the natural desire for happiness ultimately consists in knowing the first cause, what is the difference between these natural desires and supernatural hope? This question remains open for further consideration.

Important Definitions #

  • Theological virtues: Virtues that have God himself as their object (not merely virtues studied in theology)
  • Beatitude (beatitudo): The chief good of an intellectual creature; ultimate happiness or blessedness
  • Kingdom of heaven: The ordered society of those who see God face to face
  • Eternal life: To know God as He is, face to face; eternal beatitude

Examples & Illustrations #

  • The Middle Child Problem: Hope is like the neglected middle child among theological virtues—faith gets attention as the first and presupposed virtue, charity as the greatest and culminating virtue, but hope in the middle receives less emphasis
  • Breaking Down a Definition: Following Thomas’s method of examining definitions by their parts (as he does with the definition of eternity from Boethius, the definition of person, and the definition of law), one can focus the mind on each component
  • Rejoicing in God: From 1 Thessalonians (“Rejoice always, pray always, give thanks always”)—one can rejoice always in God and his goodness, even when circumstances are difficult, connecting hope with joy
  • Psalm Reference: “Sing joyfully to the Lord” connects with the theme of hope producing joy

Questions Addressed #

Q: Why is hope sometimes neglected compared to faith and charity? A: Faith receives emphasis as the first virtue and presupposed foundation; charity receives emphasis as the greatest and culminating virtue. Hope, positioned in the middle, sometimes receives less attention despite its importance.

Q: What is the difference between “kingdom of heaven” and “eternal life” as objects of hope? A: Eternal life emphasizes the life of the mind—knowing God face to face. Kingdom of heaven emphasizes the ordered society of those enjoying this vision. They refer to the same reality but from different perspectives.

Q: How does hope relate to prayer, especially the Our Father? A: The Our Father expresses hope and nourishes it. The seven petitions teach what we should desire and in what order. Since “thy” refers to our Father in heaven, “thy kingdom” beautifully connects to the kingdom of heaven as the object of hope.

Q: What distinguishes hope from the natural desire for happiness? A: Hope is supernatural, relying on the promises of Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit. The catechism describes hope as elevating and purifying our natural desire for happiness, cleansing it from false goods and things that diminish ultimate happiness.

Pedagogical Note #

Berquist employs the third and fourth tools of dialectic here:

  • Third tool (finding differences): The mind exercises itself more in distinguishing close things than distant things
  • Fourth tool (finding likenesses): The mind exercises itself more in seeing likenesses among distant things than among close things

By comparing wonder, natural desire for happiness, and hope, students exercise their minds in understanding both the distinctions and the continuities among these desires.