Hope is one of the three theological virtues, and is a hallmark of the Christian life. Various prayer books have included how to pray an Act of Hope, which essentially summarizes key aspects of this theological virtue.
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire and await from God eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit to merit it and to persevere to the end of our earthly life” (387).
It is relatively easy to live our modern life devoid of hope, as we look at the news and see all the bad things happening in the world.
Yet, it should also remind us of the glory that awaits us in the life to come, motivating us to live this life to the full. Hope is what motivated the saints to live a life of holiness and it what sustained the martyrs in their final moments.
Here is the Compendium’s official guide on how to pray the Act of Hope.
O Lord God,
I hope by your grace for the pardon
of all my sins
and after life here to gain eternal happiness
because you have promised it
who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind,
and merciful.
In this hope I intend to live and die.
Amen.
