Is it a sin to be hopeless?

In times of difficulty and strife, it’s easy to feel hopeless. Sometimes it’s personal loss or tragedy, sometimes it’s climate catastrophe. Sometimes it’s the injustice meted out by authoritarian, extremist regimes. Sometimes it’s the weight of depression, anxiety, and trauma. Christian mandates to rejoice and be glad can feel ridiculous, even insulting, to those who see no cause for joy. When the weight of the world’s woes gets heavy, simply getting out of bed in the morning can be a chore. Hopelessness may seem like the most logical, realistic response to the state of humanity.

But aren’t Christians supposed to be hopeful? Technically, hope is a theological virtue. Hope is connected with faith and charity. So some Christians assume that hopelessness must be a sin, or at least a religious failure. It doesn’t help that some Catholics try to turn mental health issues into spiritual ones, even going so far as to claim that depression is caused by evil spirits.

So, what’s the difference between the virtue of hope, having hope for the future, and feeling “in a hopeful mood”? Are Christians required to be hopeful even in dire times? Is it a sin to be hopeless?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, Christine Valters Paintner discusses what it means to be hopeful in a world fraught with suffering. Paintner is a Benedictine oblate and the online abbess at abbeyofthearts.com, a virtual monastery integrating contemplative practice and creative expression. She is a poet and the author of more than 20 books on the spiritual life. Her newest book is A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness (Ave Maria Press). 

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Paintner’s writing, in these links:

“Biblical figures struggled with mental health, too”
By Alice Camille
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202402/biblical-figures-struggled-with-mental-health-too/ 

“How your parish can help those suffering from depression” 
By Jessie Bazan
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201804/how-your-parish-can-help-those-suffering-from-depression/ 

“No one can avoid suffering, but Jesus points a way to healing”
By Kevin Considine
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202309/no-one-can-avoid-suffering-but-jesus-points-a-way-to-healing/ 

“It's OK to despair and swear at God”
By Michael Leech
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/soul-seeing/its-ok-despair-and-swear-god 

“Learn to take your troubles to the Black Madonna”
By Christine Valters Paintner
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202204/learn-to-take-your-troubles-to-the-black-madonna/ 

“Exile is at the heart of the human experience”
By Christine Valters Paintner
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202308/exile-is-at-the-heart-of-the-human-experience/ 

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.