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In Darkness, Light: A Litany of Faith, Hope and Love

I scratched the first version of this out on a folded piece of paper and have prayed it ever since. As my mother was dying of A.L.S. and my spiritual leader was being exposed as a terrible sinner, I was in the chapel taking account of what I believed about an all-powerful, all-loving God and why.

Litany of Faith, Hope, and Love

Lord God, please give me the grace of the virtues of faith, hope, and love that you promised at baptism and that only you can give.

Act of faith. My God, I believe in you, and all that your Church teaches, because you have said it, and your word is true.

Lord, I believe in you …

… Because the beauty of the world speaks of you.

… Because the goodness in the world comes from you.

… Because I can discern and know the truth.

… Because the laws of the universe are ordered.

… Because your creation is sustained in being.

… Because I am a mystery to myself that your words illuminate.

… Because you are the foundation of truth.

… Because you are too great for me to fully understand.

… Because trustworthy people have believed in you for centuries.

… Because of the witness of science.

… Because of the witness of the saints.

… Because of the witness of the Gospels.

… Because you have given me the gift of faith.

… Increase my faith.

Act of hope. My God, I hope in you, for grace and for glory, because of your mercy, your promises and your power.

Lord, I hope in you …

… Because everything else decays.

… Because you always keep your promises.

… Because you are the King of the Universe.

… Because you created me for your purpose.

… Because I have seen your hand in my own life.

… Because your words direct me.

… Because your goodness is the ground I walk on.

… Because you are greater than anything that threatens me.

… Because in history, good has triumphed.

… Because you have sustained your Church despite the weakness of men.

… Because you have provided for me all my life.

… Because you are all powerful.

… Because without you, I would not exist.

… Because of the witness of the saints.

… That I may be happy with you forever.

… Increase my hope.

Act of love. O my God, because You are so good, I love You above all things and for your sake I love my neighbor as myself.

Lord, I love you …

… Because you loved me first.

… Because you are infinite goodness.

… Because you are inexhaustible beauty.

… Because you are unfathomable truth.

… Because you made love the fundamental law.

… Because I wouldn’t exist without love.

… Because you created me.

… Because you gave me every good thing.

… Because you gave me my faith.

… Because you have protected me.

… Because you have tested me.

… Because you have trusted me with your life in my soul.

… Because you have surrounded me with love.

… Because you died for me.

… Give me deeds of love and not just words.

… Increase my love.

Let us pray

Lord God, give me the faith I need to know your will, the hope I need to accept your will, and the love I need to do your will, even when I don’t understand it, knowing that your way is better. I ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

This appeared at Aleteia.


Tom Hoopes

Tom Hoopes

Tom Hoopes, author of The Rosary of Saint John Paul II and The Fatima Family Handbook, is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Kansas and hosts The Extraordinary Story podcast about the life of Christ. A former reporter in the Washington, D.C., area, he served as press secretary of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee Chairman and spent 10 years as executive editor of the National Catholic Register newspaper and Faith & Family magazine. His work frequently appears in Catholic publications such as Aleteia.org and the Register. He and his wife, April, have nine children and live in Atchison, Kansas.