Hope as a Habit of the Will. About Awaking and Upbringing of the Hope

Abstract

In Christianity hope is comprehended understood as one of the theological virtues. It is called theological, because God is its direct and proper object, it is infused by God and known only through Divine Revelation. In spite of the fact that supernatural power is necessary for development of the theological virtues, the hope develops in each person in a very different way and religious education can influence this process. In the article the author tries to answer the question how to help young people develop the hope through religious education. For this reason the author uses the word “a habit” instead of “a virtue” in the title. The word “habit” indicates the natural sources of the perfection, which is both the habit and the virtue. The answer to the main question is given in relation to the pedagogical conception based on thomistic philosophy which considers educational problems connected with habits and virtues. The author proves that the hope is the perfection of the will, then discusses how the will develops and which factors can influence the development of the will. Finally the author comes to the conclusion that the development of the hope in the religious dimension can be supported by religious experience.