faith,
comes to the assistance of our reason and will, in order that we may
confidently submit both to divine revelation, that is, to God. In order
that the infused virtue of faith may be meritorious for us, we must
co-operate with grace by readily submitting our understanding and our will
to divine revelation. Then this virtue of faith will not only be an
infused one but, also, will be an acquired one and thus become a
meritorious virtue. This actual and acquired virtue is for every adult
the first condition of salvation. Still the acceptance of the divine
doctrine is alone not sufficient for salvation. We must live in
accordance with our faith; we must do good and shun evil. Such is the
teaching of faith. "He truly believes who practises what believes,"
says St. Gregory, and St. James tells us that "Faith without works is a
dead faith and avails nothing to salvation." A living faith is the
first condition and the beginning of salvation. Eternal happiness
consists, as we are aware, in the vision of God. The living faith is a
beginning of this vision. We know God through the Christian faith, but
only as in a mirror. "Now I know in part: but then I shall know even as
I am known" (I. Cor. xiii, 12).

II. The second of the divine virtues is hope. Christian hope is a
virtue infused into our souls by which we confidently expect of God
everything which He has promised us through the merits of Christ. God
has promised us eternal happiness, also all things which we stand in
need of, and that are profitable for us in our endeavor to attain
eternal happiness. Jesus has merited these for us, and God has promised
them to us for the sake of the merits of Jesus Christ. And because God
has promised them to us we must confidently expect and hope for them,
because God is omnipotent, merciful and faithful to His promises.

This Christian confidence in God is bestowed by the virtue of hope,
infused into our souls at Baptism. We must frequently exercise it in
order to make it conducive to salvation.

The virtue of hope is based upon the virtue of faith. Faith informs us
of the promises of God, and that He is all-powerful and faithful in
fulfilling His promises. Without faith Christian hope would not be
possible. This the Apostle Paul teaches in his Epistle to the
Corinthians, in plain words: "Faith," he writes, "is the substance of
things hoped for" (Heb. xi, i). Hope is really, therefore, an active
faith in the mercy and generosity of