The Complete Works Of Francisco Suárez - On Hope and Charity, Volume XII - Francisco Suárez

This twelfth volume of Suárez’s Complete Works presents his treatise on the theological virtues of hope and charity, completing his systematic account of the infused virtues within the scholastic tradition. It builds on the foundations of faith treated in the previous volume, showing how the Christian life is elevated and directed toward God through supernatural virtue.

The work first examines hope as a theological virtue by which the will confidently tends toward eternal beatitude, relying on divine assistance. Suárez carefully analyzes its object, necessity, and relationship to fear, despair, and presumption, emphasizing its role in sustaining the believer on the path to salvation.

The second and more extensive part treats charity as the highest theological virtue, by which the human will is united to God for His own sake. Suárez explores its nature, perfection, and effects, including the ordering of love of God and neighbor, the growth of charity, and its role as the form of all virtues.

Throughout the volume, Suárez maintains a rigorous scholastic method, integrating moral theology with metaphysical precision. The result is a unified account of the theological virtues as the supernatural principles that order the human person directly toward God as the ultimate end.