Joseph Bayly, in his book The View From A Hearse, tells of what he said to offer hope to a woman whose small son was dying. "It’s good to know, isn’t it," I spoke slowly, choosing my words with unusual care, "that, even though the medical outlook is hopeless, we can have hope for our children in such a situation. We can be sure that after our child dies, he’ll be completely removed from sickness and suffering and everything like that, and be completely well and happy."

"If I could only believe that," the woman replied. "But I don’t. When he dies, I’ll just have to cover him up with dirt and forget I ever had him." It is sad, but more often than not, this woman’s words express the hopeless plight of so many people all around us.