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September 22, 2002
Public
St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas comes. He bows to the tabernacle saying: “Praise be to Jesus. I have come to help you understand the difference between presumption and hope. They are opposites.”

“Presumption takes for granted–grace. The presumptuous person thinks he has what he does not have. He does not allow in his heart space for the action of God's Divine Will. He would be like a ship caught in a turbulent sea that thinks he is safely docked.”

“Hope, on the other hand, is a virtue that practices expectant faith. The hopeful person believes God can accomplish anything if it is His Will to do so. He entrusts his needs and petitions to the Lord, and allows Him to answer as He wills. In hope, he may even thank God ahead of time for whatever the Divine decision may be. The difference is–he does not presume the answer to his petition. His would be the ship lost at sea–praying with expectant faith to find a safe harbor.”

“It is quite important to realize that Satan can mimic any gift of the Holy Spirit. The presumptuous person believes every inspiration to be from God, and does not test the Spirit. Remember, the only virtue Satan cannot imitate is humility, for he does not even understand it. So, in humility, be certain that you do not presume you have a certain gift or virtue.”