The unleashing of the theological virtue of hope, with deep roots in Jesus Christ, holds the true promise of the new year. No one weeps at the passing of 2020, and the turning of the calendar can be an opportunity for a fresh start. At least some think so. For me, 2020 was only last week, and the difference is quantitative, not quantitative. Our lives are no different: lockdowns still reign and throttle the economy. Fear governs governments, wages war against dissenting views, and cripples individual lives. So no, I do not believe the “normal” that we all yearn for will come back in 2021, regardless of a vaccine. Happy new year!
Can hope exist with such a prognosis? Unfortunately, hope unleased often calls up images of a bubbly disposition or a relentless optimism. While not bad in themselves, those are personality traits rather than virtues. I’m thankful that the virtue of hope is more than those things; if it was not, I would not have a chance. The Catholic Church counts hope among the theological virtues. Thus, their foundation is in God; any discussion of the virtue has to begin there.
Foundation in God
We hope for all sorts of things that may or may not come to pass, but the theological virtue of hope has to start with God. St. Thomas Aquinas notes that “hope denotes a movement or a stretching forth of the appetite towards an arduous good” (Summa Theologiae II-IIae, q. 17, a. 3). We stretch toward that which we do not possess; for Christians, “we should hope from Him for nothing less than Himself” (Summa Theologiae II-IIae, q. 17, a. 2). The Catechism of the Catholic Church expounds more on St. Thomas’ definition:
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 CCC 1817)
The perspective that we have to start with is eternal. St. Paul assures us of the reason for that starting point: “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23, RSVCE). While God is eternal and unchanging, the world is quite the opposite. It constantly changes and inevitably passes away. This is not a theological statement as much as it is simply common sense. And yet how often do we put our hope in things of this world!
Mary and Joseph
One of the ways back to a true Christian hope is to look at the examples of the saints. At the beginning of the year, we have two titans of virtue to celebrate: Mary and Joseph. With the recent feast of Mary, Mother of God on January 1, and Pope Francis’ proclamation of the Year of St. Joseph, God has given us His very own mother and father to usher us through the next year. They are perfect companions for us as society languishes under division, COVID, and lockdowns. Why? Mary and Joseph had tremendous trust in God to see through whatever they encountered. With them as guides, we have an illustration of what true hope looks like in the will, action, and perseverance.
The Will
If possible, I think we sometimes underestimate Our Blessed Mother. Being immaculately conceived meant life was easy, right? No human’s life is easy. Suffering comes for every one of us, often when we least expect it. A great illustration of this is the Presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple. Mary and Joseph took Jesus there to be dedicated to the Lord, according to the law of Moses (Leviticus 12:3).
Their news was not something that could be made public. False messiahs had arisen even in the time of Jesus; Gamaliel testified to two false messiahs while discerning the matter of Peter and John’s preaching (Acts 5:33-39, RSVCE). Keeping their news to themselves, Mary and Joseph must have been surprised when Simeon came up to them and praised God, saying that he could now die a happy man. And then the stunner: not only would Jesus be the rise and the fall of many, but “a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:34-35, RSVCE).
Hope allowed Mary to keep those things in her heart instead of a spiral into panic, anger, or fear. It took a great act of the will to cling to the hope of the messiah. If I heard words like Simeon’s, I would have been filled with fear, anxiety, and doubt in God’s promise. How could all of the angel Gabriel’s promises at the Annunciation go with the grim fate foretold by Simeon? Yet Mary withstood the news of the Passion. When it came time for Jesus to fulfill His mission, she did not run and hide. Mary’s fidelity remained even at its worst moment on Calvary, when the sword destined for her heart finally arrived.
Even if we do not have the emotion of hope, exercising our will toward that end brings us closer to the virtue. Our Blessed Mother shows us this is a small sample at the Presentation.
Action
Hope is an act of the will, but it is external as well as internal. We nourish hope through action. Pope Benedict XVI says that “it is the great hope based upon God’s promises that give us the courage and directs our action in good times and bad” (Spe Salvi #35). This is a hidden aspect of hope that St. Joseph displays for us very well. I attended a men’s conference last month, and Fr. Stephen Runyon gave a great talk on this.
Fr. Runyon drew a comparison from Joseph to Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Zechariah. When the latter group had a revelation from God or a visit from an angel, they questioned. Even asked to get out of their vocation! St. Joseph heard from an angel in a dream to not be afraid of taking Mary as his wife. What did he do next? “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him” (Matthew 1:24, RSVCE). He acted, plain and simple. In his next recorded dream, the angel asked something even greater: flee immediately into Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus. Joseph was taking them “to a country with a different language, culture, religion, and currency” (Fr. Don Calloway, Consecration to St. Joseph, pg. 55). Joseph rose immediately, gathered his family, and left. This happened twice more before the Holy Family settled in Nazareth.
Hope needs action to survive. Fear is a paralyzing force, and its companion, anxiety, can snuff out hope with alarming swiftness. If it feels impossible to gain a foothold against fear, we can look to St. Joseph. Act on the hope that is within.
Perseverance
Trials and difficult times are a matter of when not if. It’s a fact of life. Here I think it’s important to turn back to the beginning: without God as the ultimate goal of our hope, we are lost. With the promise of God’s grace, we can hope to overcome sin and weakness in our lives. On some days, it may be more of an act of the will than an emotional movement. It is in those times that virtue is forged. St. Josemaria Escriva wrote that “all your defects unless you fight against them, will produce bad works as a natural consequence. And your will, untampered by a persevering fight, will be of no use to you when a difficult occasion arises” (The Furrow #776).
Hope in the ways of the Lord, that trials and difficulties have reasons behind them. Like a coach putting players through drills, God tries to prepare us for the narrow road through trials.
St. Paul gives us God’s playbook in Romans: “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5, RSVCE).
Hope
Hope is more intricate than it seems. After a rough year, unleash the power of hope in the coming year. Where the virtue looks daunting, take small steps with the will, move to act, and persevere in all things. Mary and Joseph intercede for us in heaven. May the Lord pour His love into our hearts now and always!
