Course 2, Chapter 24: Of union with our Lord, the new Adam, by charity. Hope and Charity

1. Is it sufficient to unite ourselves to our Lord b} faith, in order to be saved?

No, it is not sufficient to unite ourselves to our Lord by faith, in order to be saved; for by faith alone our union with the new Adam is not complete.

2. What is the second means by which we are to unite ourselves to our Lord?

The second means is charity; that is, we must unite our will to the will of our Lord,, by obeying all his commandments; but in order to unite faith with charity, we must make use of hope.

3. What is hope?

Hope is a gift of God; a supernatural virtue by which wn expect, with confidence, all that God has promised us.

4. What is the foundation of our hope?

The foundation of our hope, is: 1st, the power, fidelity, and goodness of God; 2d, the infinite merits of our Lord.

5. What are the objects of hope?

The objects of our hope, are: first, God himself, since he has promised to give us himself for all eternity; secondly, all those spiritual and temporal means necessary to gain heaven; in a word, the grace of God in this world and his glory in the next, are the objects of Christian hope.

6. What are the sins opposed to hope?

The sins opposed to hope are presumption and despair. We sin by presumption, when we flatter ourselves that we can reach heaven without using the necessary means; for instance, without observing faithfully all the commandments of God and the church.

7. How do we sin by despair?

We sin by despair when we think our faults too great for pardon; our passions too strong to be overcome; and lastly, when we suffer ourselves to indulge in too great anxiety for the necessaries of life.

8. What is charity?

Charity is a gift of God; a supernatural virtue by which we love God above all things, because he is infinitely amiable; and our neighbor as ourselves, for the love of God. It is by charity that our heart is united to that of the new Adam, and is freed from concupiscence.

9. What are the three virtues, faith, hope and charity, called?

They are called the three theological virtues; because they have God for their object. They are opposed to the three great passions of our heart; faith

188 CATECHISM OF PERSEVERANCE.

is opposed to pride; hope to avarice; and charity to cupidity.

10. What is the principal object of charity?

The first and principal object of charity is, God; the second, is the love of our neighbor. In presenting to our heart this two-fold nourishment, our Lord elevates and disengages it from those gross affections with which it was filled after the fall of the first Adam.

11. How must we love God?

We must love God above all things; since he i» infinitely amiable, it is just that we love him above all things, and refer all our affections to him.

12. What are the motives for which we must love God?

The motives for loving God are: 1st, his infinite perfections; 2d, his benefits; 3d, his promises; 4th, his commands.

13. What should be the qualities of our love for God?

We should love God as he loves us; with a generous, constant, and holy or supernatural love.