Faith-Hope-Charity
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
The Three Theological Virtues (1812-1813)
The three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity) allow man to share in God's nature. These virtues relate directly to God who directly infuses these three virtues into the soul where they make the believers capable of living as God's children and meriting eternal life.
Believing What God Revealed (1814-1816)
By faith, we believe in God, in all that he has revealed, and in all that the Church proposes for our belief. Faith leads to a total committal. "The righteous shall live by faith" (Rom 1:17).
When faith is deprived of hope and love, it does not unite the believer to Christ nor make him a living member of the body. "Faith apart from works is dead" (Jas 2:26).
Christ's disciple must spread the faith to others, even if this brings about persecution. Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledge me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father" and "Whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father" (Mt 10:43-33).
Hoping and Searching for the Kingdom (1817-1818)
By hope, we seek heaven, place our trust in Christ's promises, and rely on the Holy Spirit. We must "hold fast to our confession of hope" (Heb 10:23). Through the Spirit, we have "become heirs in hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:6-7).
Into everyone's heart, God has placed a search for happiness. Hope responds to this desire. It sustains man, frees him from discouragement, preserves him from selfishness, and leads to happiness on earth and in heaven.
Abraham's Hope (1819)
Israel's hope was modeled upon Abraham who trusted in God's promise even when asked to sacrifice Isaac. "Hoping against hope, he believed, and thus became the father of many nations" (Rom 4:18).
Our Hope of Heaven Through Jesus (1820-1821)
Jesus unfolded Christian hope in the beatitudes, proclaiming that those who suffer trials on earth are blessed in heaven. This hope "does not disappoint" (Rom 5:5) because Jesus has gone ahead "as a forerunner on our behalf" (Heb 6:19-20). Therefore, we can hope to gain heaven and to persevere "to the end" (Mt 10:22). The Church prays for "all men to be saved" (1 Tim 2:4) and she awaits union with Christ, the Bridegroom. "Hope, O my soul, hope. Watch carefully. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved" (St. Teresa of Avila).
Loving God and Neighbor (1822-1824)
By charity, we love God for his own sake and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
Jesus loved us "to the end" (Jn 13:1). He told his disciples to "love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 15:9, 12). Charity keeps the commandments of God and of Christ, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love" (Jn 15:9-10).
Paul's Description (1825-1826)
Christ demands that we love everyone, especially our enemies, our neighbors and the poor. St. Paul says that love is patient and kind, believing, helping, and enduring all things. Love is not jealous, boastful, arrogant, rude, irritable, or resentful.
Without charity, "I am nothing" and "I gain nothing." "So faith, hope, and charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity" (1 Cor 13:1-13).
Love Animates the Moral Life (1827-1829)
Charity binds all virtues "together in perfect harmony (Col 3:14) and gives them order. Charity purifies and raises human love to the perfection of God's love.
When charity animates his moral life, the Christian is free from servile fear and lives as a son responding to God who "first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). "If we obey out of love for him who commands, we are in the position of his children" (St. Augustine).
Charity is benevolent, disinterested, and generous, bringing forth friendship and communion. "Love is the goal. Once we reach it, we shall find rest"(St. Augustine).
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