January 20, 2013 – Catechism 2090 – 2094

I had never heard of the two types of presumptions that are considered sins against hope, but looking at them, they are obviously very prevalent in society.  The first is the presumption that we do not need God, that we can take care of ourselves, that we can achieve salvation without God.  I wonder if those that don’t believe in salvation or in God would also fall into this category because they presume there is no God that they need.  We see this presumption throughout all the teachings of the world that focus on us and on what feels good is good and that is what will make us happy.  The focus is on the person and living life for today because there is a presumption that today is all we have. 

The second one is a presumption that we are all saved and that we do not need to do anything to achieve salvation.  This would be the group that believe in double predestination and the idea that either you are one of the saved or you are not and it was determined before time and there is nothing you can do about it.  It basically allows for a person to feel that they can do nothing wrong to lose their connection to God.  The idea of mortal sin and turning away from God has no place in this kind of theology. 

Both of these presumptions take away the power of Hope because they see outcomes as already certain and when that is the case, hope has no effect.  As Catholics, hope is an essential part of our life and we do have choices to make.  We cannot save ourselves by our own power, but we hope in God’s power to give us that ability and with His help to reunite ourselves with Him.  What you get when you take hope away is darkness and despair and is why you see a world so dark right now.  The world needs hope.