Faith, Hope, and Charity

The journey to God is sustained by the exercise of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. But how do we properly understand and live out these virtues in the modern world?

In Faith, Hope, and Charity, Preacher to the Papal Household Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa utilizes a liturgical framework to lead us deeper into the practice of the theological virtues. Developing a series of sermons delivered in the presence of Pope John Paul II in 1992 and Pope Francis in 2022, Cardinal Cantalamessa opens up a spiritual journey to Bethlehem in short daily stretches in the footsteps of the Magi.

Drawing on ancient tradition while facing the existential challenges of the present age, these reflections encourage all of us--modern Magi from the West--to lay down our gifts before the Great King: faith, hope, and charity.

Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., born 1934, Doctor of Theology (Fribourg, Switzerland) and of Classical Literature (Catholic University of Milan), was Professor of History of Ancient Christianity at the Catholic University of Milan and Head of its Department of Religious Sciences. He was a member of the International Theological Commission from 1975 to 1980. In 1979, he resigned his teaching position to become a full-time preacher of the Gospel. In 1980, he was appointed by Pope St. John Paul II as Preacher to the Papal Household, in which capacity he still serves. Pope Francis, in 2020, raised him to the rank of cardinal.