Welcome to our daily rosary meditation. Let's begin in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen. It's called to mind all those we've promised to pray for.

Now hope is the virtue whereby the individual desires and strives for heaven

as something which is possible but not guaranteed.

So hope involves three things.

First, in active pursuit of God in heaven. Second, the realization that the

attainment of heaven is possible, after all, if it wasn't possible to get

to heaven, why would anyone even try to get there?

And third, the realization that failing to attain heaven is also possible.

After all, if getting to heaven was guaranteed, why would you have to try to get there?

So a vigorous hope implies an awareness that hell is a live option.

But many people think it's not a good idea to bring up hell.

Why do you think people wouldn't want to think about hell?

I think there are probably four primary reasons why people don't want to talk about hell.

First, many people think no one but Hitler goes to hell, so why worry about it?

Second, they think, how could a good God keep anyone out of heaven?

Third, how could a good God design an eternal torture chamber and actually put people there to suffer in agony forever.

And finally they think, even if there were a hell,

how could thinking about it make us better Christians?

These are very reasonable concerns. So let's take them one by one.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallow it be your name,

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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