Aquinas on Virtue, Part 6 (The Theological Virtues: Hope) - Final Post

From His Treatise on the Virtues

Without faith in God, one cannot hope in God. As faith perfects the intellect, so hope perfects the will. The primary focus of hope for the believer is the movement toward eternal happiness and bliss. Faith assents to the truth (intellect) that the promises of God will come to pass. Hope puts faith into practice (will) as one lives in a way that those promises will indeed become a reality. One moves intentionally in hope, with the help of God, toward the future. Hope is not synonymous with optimism; for optimism puts too much trust in what can been seen and places too much emphasis on human ability to secure the future.