and giveth strength in the day of trouble, and knoweth them that hope in Him."[1] "If you return and be quiet, you shall be saved; in silence and in hope shall your strength be."[2] By silence the prophet here signifies that interior calm and sweet peace experienced by the soul amid all her troubles, and which is the result of that hope in God's mercy which expels all fear. "Ye that fear the Lord, hope in Him, and mercy shall come to you for your delight. My children, behold the generations of men, and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord and hath been confounded."[3] "Mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord."[4] Mark the strength of this word encompass, by which the prophet teaches us that a virtuous man is shielded by God's protection, as a king surrounded by his guards. Read the Psalms, and you will see how beautifully David speaks of the power and merit of divine hope.
In one of his sermons St. Bernard dwells at some length on this virtue, and concludes by saying: "Faith teaches us that God has inestimable rewards reserved for His faithful servants. Hope answers, 'It is for me that they are prepared'; and Charity, inspired by Hope, cries out, I will hasten to possess them.'"
Behold, then, the happy fruits of hope! It is a port of refuge from the storms of life; it is a buckler against the attacks of the world; it is a storehouse to supply us in the time of famine; it is the shade and tent of which
