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.