Our Prayer for Hope

No matter what our occupation in life, we appreciate the importance of continually honing our skills. Although our eternal salvation is infinitely more important than our profession, yet very few are eager to make daily progress in the art of prayer or the science of virtue. Today we focus on increasing the virtue of hope in our souls. In this virtue we have a confident desire for Heaven. At the Mass Heaven comes down to us, and we cannot help but grow in confidence when we remain in His presence. The first effect of hope is prayer, because it stirs our desire for Heaven and as a result, we ask God to guide us there. We cannot reach our final end without God’s constant help. We see in the Gospel for this Mass that St. Peter was rewarded for his obedience. Without a trustful hope in God, we can achieve nothing. We must ignore the teachings of the world and place our confidence in God alone.