Hymn to Hope

Oh, holy Hope, how admirable you are!

I imagine seeing the soul who is possessed by this beautiful Hope,

like a noble wayfarer, who walks in order to go

and take possession of a land that will make his whole fortune.

But since he is unknown and he journeys through lands which are not his,

some deride him, some insult him, some strip him of his clothes,

and some reach the point of beating him and even of threatening to kill him.

And the noble wayfarer – what does he do in all these trials?

Will he be disturbed?

Ah, no – never! On the contrary, he will deride those who do all this to him,

and knowing with certainty that the more he suffers,

the more he will be honored and glorified when he comes to take possession of his land,

he himself teases the people into tormenting him more.

But he is always tranquil, he enjoys the most perfect peace;

and what is more, while in the midst of these insults,

Who administers so much peace

and so much firmness to this wayfarer in continuing the journey he has undertaken?

Certainly Hope in the eternal goods that will be his;

and since they are his, he will overcome everything in order to take possession of them.

Now, by thinking that they are his own, he comes to love them

and here is how Hope gives rise to Charity.