"The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity."
(CCC 1818)
Our attempt at a translation for 6 (almost 7) year old boys:
God put a desire for happiness in all our hearts. But God wants to take that desire to be happy and make it much more. He wants to turn it into hope. Hope looks to the kingdom of God and heaven to be happy. Hope helps us when we are discouraged, it helps us when we feel lonely, and helps us look forward to happiness in heaven forever. If we are lost in an ocean of sadness, hope is our life raft. This life-boat lifts us up out of selfishness, "I want to go buy something to make me happy. It's all about me." It leads us to a real happiness that comes from love (charity).
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