Communio viatorum is a theological journal from Central European perspectives founded in 1958 by J. L. Hromádka and J. B. Souček, published by the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague three times a year.
Communio Viatorum seeks to promote research and scholarly debate in all theological disciplines. Since its foundation special attention has been paid to both biblical studies and Czech Protestant history. The journal is also interested in articles that reflect new accents within the field of theology as well as relevant challenges from neighbouring disciplines, developments in the Church worldwide as well as new moves within society. It seeks to promote an ongoing process of theological debate from a specific Central European Protestant background, but open to authors from all around the world and all denominations who wish to engage in such a conversation.
Articles published here are indexed in the ATLA Religion Database® and are included in the full-text ATLASerials® (ATLAS®) collection. They are also indexed and abstracted in the Web of Science – Arts and Humanities Citation Index® of Clarivate Analytics, in Scopus, in CEEOL, and in ERIH PLUS.
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COMMUNIO VIATORUM, Vol 66 No 1 (2024), 7–27
Meaning and Hope in the Work of Viktor Frankl
Lenka Fílová
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/30296374.2024.3
published online: 20. 09. 2024
abstract
Reflecting on my work, supporting parents of adult children with disabilities, I asked myself about the meaning of my work. If the answer is “to give hope,” is it possible to live up to such a challenge? Viktor Frankl’s most famous book, Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything, bears witness to hope in its very title – witness to the hope that life has meaning despite all the suffering. The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between meaning and hope through analysing some of Frankl’s books. First, I provide a brief background to the people with whom I work. In understanding hope, I draw on Jan Sokol’s definition. I then briefly introduce Frankl’s logotherapy and the basic concepts with which he works, before analysing his texts and defining the relationship between meaning and hope. Finally, I consider whether I can live up to the claim of bringing hope through my work.
keywords: logotherapy; meaning; hope; anthropology; disability
Meaning and Hope in the Work of Viktor Frankl is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
