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Hope is the theological virtue by which we seek heaven, place our trust in Christ, and rely on the Holy Spirit. Hope responds to man’s search for happiness for hope sustains man, frees him from discouragement, preserves him from selfishness, and leads him to heaven.

Jesus revealed hope in the beatitudes, proclaiming that those who suffer on earth are blessed in heaven. This hope “does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5), because Jesus advanced “as a forerunner on our behalf” (Hebrews 6:19-20), and we hope to persevere “to the end” (Matthew 10:22) to reach heaven.

God promised us the means of salvation, and hope is the soul’s anchor received in the Baptism and expressed and strengthened in prayer, for example, “Thy kingdom come” in the Lord’s Prayer.

Faith is the intellect’s perfection, and hope is the will’s perfection. Hope is a desire of God, the final object of hope, and all means to grow in sanctification are intermediate objects of hope.

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