And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas | USCCB

On this Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas, we hear in the gospel two important things regarding our faith in Jesus Christ. First is that Jesus is not only fully human, but fully God.

In the gospel we hear: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) John, the writer of the Gospel, is making it clear that Jesus, the Word, was not only with God, but was God. And then John goes on to say that Jesus, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us. This is a clear teaching that Jesus is True God and True Man.

The second important thing in today’s gospel was the fact that John the Baptist was pointing out the importance of Jesus to his followers. John was the forerunner of Jesus Christ and was sharing the good news that Jesus Christ was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. In today’s gospel we hear John say, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” (John 1:15) John had a large following. Those followers of John, at first, believed that he was the Messiah. John, in his humility, pointed out he was not the Messiah, but rather Jesus Christ was the long-awaited Messiah. From the time John leaped in the womb of Elizabeth during the visitation of Mary, acknowledging the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb, to the time John was baptizing people for the repentance of sin in the Jordon, John was always directing everyone to believe and to follow Jesus as the Messiah.

We are to be imitators of John the Baptist. We are to share our faith in the fact that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man, and that He came to our world to suffer, die, and rise from the dead, in order to bring us salvation.

As followers of Jesus Christ, let us always point towards Jesus Christ to all our friends and relatives that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savor for all of us.

And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

 

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | USCCB

Today, the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. In our gospel for today I can fully understand the anxiety and worry of Mary and Joseph over not finding the child Jesus amongst their friends and family upon returning home from the celebration of Passover. As a parent I have had that worry many times over my children whenever they were sick, or if they were going through a problem that seemed to be difficult to resolve. Parents also know full well that worry for their children never stops, even when the children are grown and are adults.

Further, I can understand their relief upon finding Jessus back at the temple and asking that question, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” (Luke 2:48) Most parents have asked their children similar questions due to the worry of the parents over whatever issue may have been happening. The Lord answered with something that confused Mary and Joseph: "Did you not know that I mut be in my Father's house?"(Luke 2:49))   Jesus would then return home with them and was obedient to them.

As I was praying the Office of Readings this morning, the 2nd reading was from Pope Paul VI. A few quotes that stood out for me are: "Nazareth is a kind of school where we may begin to discover what Christ's life was like and even to understand the Gospel" and "How I would like to return to my childhood and attend the simple yet profound school that is Nazareth! How wonderful to be close to Mary, learning again the lessen of the true meaning of life, learning again God's truth." But the one that stood out most for me was, "First, we learn from its silence. If only we could again appreciate its great value. We need this wonderful state of mind, beset as we are by the cacophony of strident protests and conflicting claims so characteristic of these turbulent times. The silence of Nazareth should teach us to meditate in peace and quiet, to reflect on the deeply spiritual, and to be open to God's inner wisdom..." Times haven't changed much since these words of Pope Paul VI were written. We're in a world that is noisy and distracting and is constantly taking our attention away from our focus on God and the true meaning of who we are as a People of God. It's important to make that quiet time to be alone with God and to attempt to live out a life of peace and obedience to God. 

I know for myself, one of my new year's resolutions is to make more quiet time in order pray and meditate on God's Word in scripture and to attempt to hear what he is His calling me to do in this world full of "noise" and "distractions". I invite everyone to do the same, and maybe we can make this world more of a place that is centered on Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and thus have a more peaceful and joyful world.

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord

 

Scripture readings for Midnight Mass can be found at The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | USCCB

We've come upon the most beautiful celebration of our church year: the Birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in Bethlehem. The 2nd person of the Most Holy Trinity humbled himself by taking on human flesh and became like us in all things except sin. 

In the account of our Lord's birth, in the gospel of St. Luke, chapter two, we hear of Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem for the required census taking place and were unable to find room at the Inn. And then, at what seemed to be a most inconvenient time, Mary went into labor and had to go to a stable in order for Our Lord to be born.

In a most unclean area, and surrounded by the livestock living there, the creator of the universe came into this world as a child. This king of the universe, the Savior of the world, was born in the humblest of surroundings. In all humility, Jesus Christ was born for us and our salvation.

Then, the first people to find out about the birth of Jesus weren't the kings or nobles of that time and place, but rather simple shepherds out in the field tending their sheep. The Angels appeared to them, and, at first, they were frightened by the appearance of these angelic beings. The angel responds, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord." (Luke 10:11-12)

The shepherds were privileged to see the newborn King, and then they took that good news to those other people in their lives. "All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds." (Luke 2:18)

We, as Catholic Christians, have the chance to meet Jesus each time we attend Holy Mass. There are things that happen in our lives that we don't expect, but we, like Mary and Joseph, know that the Lord is present in all situations. And like them, we are to offer up all our issues and problems to God. It is then that the Lord Jesus is born in our hearts, and it is then we are to find that peace that can only come from a loving God. Let us learn from the Shepherds by sharing this good news about Jesus Christ, our Savior, with those other people that are in our lives. Then we can share that peace that comes from Jesus Christ in a world that so much needs the peace and love that only God has to offer. 

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Third Week of Advent | USCCB

In our gospel for today, we hear of the long genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing him back to Abraham and to King David.

By giving us this list of names Matthew is emphasizing, especially to the Jews of his day, that Jesus’ lineage goes back to the very beginnings of Israelite history beginning with Abraham, the father of the nations, and including David, Jesus’ kingly ancestor. Throughout this list of people that is mentioned in the gospel, there are people that are great and attempted to do God’s Holy Will, and then there were those who were sinful. Yet God worked through them all to bring the Messiah into the world to redeem us from sin and bring us salvation.

We hear of Abraham in the Book of Genesis, and the covenant that God made with him. In Genesis chapter 17 verse 5, we hear God change his name from Abram to Abraham, “No longer will you be Abram, your name will be Abraham,for I am making you the father of a multitude of nations.” Abraham first questioned God as to how this can be since he was a hundred years old and his wife, also elderly, would not be able to have children. But God fulfilled His promise and Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had Isaac.

With David we recall that famous story of him killing Goliath, the Philistine, in the first book of Samuel, chapter 17. Eventually he would go on to become King, which we read in second book of Kings, chapter 2. David’s hometown was Bethlehem, and it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born of David’s line, in Bethlehem. The great sin that David committed was that of adultery, having relations with the wife of Uriah and fathering a child with her. David then arranged to have Uriah killed in battle just to hide these facts. But David was unable to hide these sins of adultery and murder from God.

But through Abraham and David, and all the others mentioned in the genealogy, God was able to bring about the Messiah and Salvation into the World. God was able to accomplish His will even through the sinful actions of those he chose to be in leadership.

In the same way, God works through us in all our situations, whether we’re open to His Will or not. Though we are sinful, God is always calling us into relationship with him. All we need to do is to turn to God with an open and repentant heart to seek His forgiveness, and to allow His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, into our lives to bring about our own spiritual healing and forgiveness.

As we approach Christmas next week, let us make to time to go to the Sacrament of Confession to seek forgiveness of our sins. In this way we will not only celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, but we can also have him be born in our hearts and receive that love, peace and forgiveness that can only come from a loving God through Jesus Christ.

Let it be done for you according to your faith

 

Scripture for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest | USCCB

In our gospel today from St. Matthew, we hear of the healing of the two blind men. They had heard of all the great things Jesus was doing and developed that trust and faith in Jesus and believed that He can heal them. They were persistent in their desire to have Jesus heal them. They followed Jesus into the house, and they humbly approached him to ask for healing and the restoration of their sight. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on us.” (Matthew 9:27) Jesus asks, “Do you believe that I can do this?” (Matthew 9:28) When they respond with a “yes”, he touches them and says, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” (Matthew 9:29) and they were healed.

Central to all the healings that Jesus does in the gospels is that of faith on the part of those being healed. Where are we in our relationship with Jesus? Do we have the same faith in Jesus that these men had? These blind men we hear of today were physically blind and found healing and then went about sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone they met. We need to ask ourselves “Where are we blind and need healing?” These men discovered the Lord and once healed, share their faith with other people.

Like the men in today’s gospel, we need to realize our dependance on Jesus in our lives. We need to be persistent in our prayers to Him for all our needs and concerns. They had the faith they needed in order to be healed. Nothing else mattered to them. Their whole trust was in Jesus and his power to heal them. And Jesus answered their request based on their faith in him to do it for them. We need to be able to put our whole trust in Jesus in the different problems we face each day, or the issues we may face in our families. We need to bring our troubles to the Lord and ask for healing.

Putting our trust in Jesus in our lives is important, and, in all humility, we need to realize that Jesus will respond to our prayer requests according to what He feels is best for us. These men were able to receive their sight back and were able to preach Jesus to those in their lives. For each of us Jesus will respond in a way that is best for us. It may not be in the way we ask, but in the way we need. Jesus knows our needs better than we do. All we need to do is to place all our cares into the loving hands of Jesus and know that He’ll respond to us in a way that’s best for us and those we pray for.  As you approach the altar for Holy Communion, pray the words of these blind men, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” You will then receive the healing and peace that you need that can only come from Jesus.

My house shall be a house of prayer…

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today, we hear of our Lord turning out those people from the temple area that were not acting appropriately at the entrance of the temple. They were the money changers in the rear of the temple, focusing on making a profit from those people that needed to purchase a pigeon or dove or some other animal for their sacrifice to God in the temple. These sellers were focusing on making a profit on these animals rather than helping people get what they needed in order to offer sacrifice to God in the temple. It’s entirely possible that they were overcharging for these animals and cheating these people that needed the animals for their sacrifice. They were focusing on their greed rather than on the true and proper sacrifice and worship of God in the temple.

As we reflect on this gospel, what is our focus upon entering Church for Mass? We should try our best to never be distracted by anyone or anything other than focusing on our prayer and worship of God. It’s easy to get distracted coming into church when we see people we know or get distracted by the issues we may have at home, or the other things in our life that may be on our minds. But once we enter church, we need to try to focus on the fact that we are entering into the presence of God and are here to give him worship and praise.

After entering church, it would be ideal to find your quiet place in the church and reflect on the scripture readings that will be used for Mass. Or simply come into church for quiet time with the Lord in the tabernacle and give Him thanks and praise for the many blessings we have in life, and to ask for help in the areas where we need help. We are to place all our cares and concerns into the loving hands of the Lord. This is how we are to make the church a House of Prayer. Further, we are to be considerate of those around us that also need this time alone with God in order to deal with their cares and concerns. We are all to center our attention on the fact that Jesus is present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the tabernacle. Focus on Him and give Him thanks for His presence in your life.

Pope St. John Paul II once said, “Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord.” So, turn your mind and heart towards God, remembering as you enter church that this is a House of Prayer. Once you focus on the Lord present here with us, then you will have that peace and calm that can only come from a loving and caring God. 

He Is No Fool . . .

In Christ Jesus I have reason to boast to what pertains to God.

 

Scripture readings for today's reflections can be found at Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Our first reading for today is from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. As you may recall, Paul was formerly a persecutor of the early Christians. He was a Pharisee and was very zealous in attempting to eradicate the early Christian Church. He was rounding them up and bringing them to trial in order to prevent them from preaching about the fact that Jesus Christ had indeed risen from the dead on Easter Sunday morning and was indeed the Messiah everyone was waiting for. Paul thought and believed they were heretics that needed to be stopped and punished, even to the point of death. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of Paul being present at the stoning to death of the deacon, St. Steven. In Acts chapter 8, verse 1, we read that St. Paul was consenting to Stephen’s death.

Then Paul had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus that changed his whole life. Paul went from persecuting these early Christians to being one of the greatest leaders of this new faith that he tried to destroy.

In today’s reading we hear Paul say God had given him grace to be a minister of Jesus Christ. As a result of Paul’s conversion, he traveled far and wide to bring this good news of Jesus Christ to everyone he would meet. Paul traveled beyond the Jewish community and was known to be the apostle to the Gentiles as St. Peter was the apostles to the Jews. Paul taught that the good news of Jesus Christ was not meant only for the Jewish people who were waiting for the Messiah, but this good news was meant for all people. It wasn’t easy for Paul and he suffered greatly for bringing the Gospel to others, but he remained strong in his faith in Jesus Christ. At one point in the Acts of the Apostles, they were suspicious of Paul’s newfound faith. They found it hard to believe that the one who was trying to put them to death was now preaching about Jesus Christ being the Messiah.

Paul is an example of how we are all to live out our lives as Christians. We have all entered into that relationship with Jesus Christ when we were baptized and received confirmation. We continue in that relationship with Jesus Christ each time we come to mass and receive Holy Communion. We, like St. Paul, are called to bring this good news of the Risen Jesus to all those in our lives. We may not be called to preach as St. Paul did, but we are called to preach in how we live out our lives as Christian people. As followers of Christ, we are to bring this love of Christ to all we meet by showing them the love that God has for each one of us.

St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” So, as we go through our day today, bring this love of Christ to all meet, whether it’s by helping someone in need, or just by simply praying for someone that may need your prayers. Then we, like St. Paul, will be spreading the Good News that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.  

Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today we see the Pharisees, as usual, looking for a way to catch Jesus in breaking the Jewish Laws and Customs. The Pharisees were so wrapped up and concerned about anyone deviating from the Law that they forgot why these laws were put in place to begin with.

In other parts of scripture, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He responded that we are to love God with our whole mind, heart, and soul, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the heart of the Law that the Pharisees seem to be missing: love of God and love of neighbor. The laws were put into place to show us how to live a life pleasing to God and to show this love of God to our neighbor.

Further, in living out that love of neighbor, we are to be there for them in their time of need. No law of God would ever be in the way of doing good for someone in need. Christ in this gospel saw someone in need of healing and proceeded to heal this man. What was more important to Jesus was the well being of the person that needed to be cured, not the fact that it was being done on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees had allowed regulations and propriety to take over; they had become institutionalised. Jesus showed them that they had lost sight of the dignity of the people they claimed to lead. Jesus challenges us to respond to those in need, to think less of ourselves than of those whose need is greater than ours.

Further, as with the Pharisees towards Jesus, there are those in our lives that may look at us to see how we may be living out our lives as Christians. The Pharisees were looking for ways that Jesus may have been breaking the Sabbath law, and there are people in our lives who may be looking at us to see if we are falling short in our following of Christ. They will be quick to point out our alleged hypocrisy. So, it’s always important to carry ourselves in a way that is pleasing to God by showing Him the love and respect He is deserved as God, and to show love & respect to those in our lives who are made in His image. We need to do this with all sincerity and honesty. This would even mean being there to lend a helping hand to someone in need even when it may be inconvenient to do so.

Mother St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.” Let us continue to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ by loving God and those in our lives.

I consider that the Sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us

 

Scripture readings for Tuesday of t he Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time can be found at Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our first reading from St. Paul's letter to the Romans, St. Paul encourages us not to give up our hope and faith in the glory of God. Through this faith and hope as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ we will have the peace that can come through faith in God. Paul is encouraging us not to be so wrapped up in our cares and troubles that we forget that Jesus is present to us in all our troubles. Our Lord is always there waiting for us to ask for His help in whatever problems we are facing. 

Central to Paul's teaching in today's reading is that of hope: "For in hope we were saved." (Romans 8:24) Part of living our day to day lives means to deal with issues with health, financial problems, and problems with family and friends. In all these problems we face, we are to place our hope and concerns in the loving hands of Jesus Christ. Once we place our cares into the loving hands of Jesus, the problems become lighter, knowing that Jesus is helping us to carry our daily crosses. Will the problems go away? No, they'll still be there, but if we place Jesus in the center of all our concerns, we can have that peace that can only come through faith and hope in Jesus Christ. 

Maintain the Perspective that Jesus is Lord

Whoever lives in the presence of so good a friend and excellent a leader as is Jesus Christ can endure all things.

 

These are the words of St. Teresa of Jesus, also known as St. Teresa of Avila, virgin and doctor of the Church, who’s feast we celebrate today.

Teresa was born in Avila in Spain in the year 1515. She entered the Carmelite order and would go on to be known for her books, “The Way of Perfection” and her Autobiography. Teresa spent her entire religious life attempting to help the Carmelite nuns and priests become more prayerful by encouraging them to follow their promises or vows to God in a stricter way. Central to the Carmelites, like all religious orders, was their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Further, central to the Carmelite order, was the importance to spend quiet time with the Lord in devout prayer, contemplation and meditation. At the time of Teresa, many of the nuns and priests were living lives not worthy of their religious callings. They were betraying their call to serve God in a way pleasing to Him.

The focus of Teresa’s teachings to the nuns and priests, and to us today, was always to have Jesus as the center of who we are in all we do. In her teachings, she reminded everyone that we are always in the presence of Jesus, whether we’re in church, at home, or doing our chores during the day. So, in all our activity, we are to perform it in a way that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is present in our every move and action. This earthly road we travel, remembering that Christ is always present to us in whatever we do, was important to Teresa. Teresa says, “A person should desire no other path, even if he be at the summit of contemplation. This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us.”

As we come to church and offer up our prayers to God, and as we go through our day, let us remember that Jesus is walking with us hand in hand in all we do. We can make each thing we do a prayer to God. Not only the prayers we offer at mass, or by praying the rosary daily, but, also, as we go through our days, let us meditate on the presence of God in our lives, present in every moment and activity.

St. Teresa would go on to say in her autobiography, “We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.” As we go through this day, let us remember that we, and all we meet, are citizens of heaven. Let us pray for those we know that may fall short of being followers of Christ and pray for ourselves that we may have the strength to always act in ways that reflect that we are followers of Jesus Christ.

Let's Stop Pretending

O Jesus, my Love…my vocation, at last I found it… my vocation is Love!

 

O Jesus, my Love…my vocation, at last I found it… my vocation is Love!

These are words that were written by St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, lovingly known as the Little Flower. Today the Church celebrates her feast day.

She was born in Alencon, France, in 1873 to devout parents, Marie-Azelie Guerin and Louis Martin. While still young, she received permission to enter the local cloistered Carmelite Convent. While there she struggled a great deal with how she should respond to God’s Call to be the type of Christian that God wanted her to be. One Call she felt was to be a missionary, but as a Cloistered Nun, that was not possible. So, she prayed and reflected upon scripture in order to better understand her Call to follow Jesus Christ in the convent.

While meditating upon the 12^th and 13^th chapters of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, she came across the line from St. Paul saying, “…there are three things that last: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 Therese’s response to this was, “O Jesus, my Love…my vocation, at last I have found it…my vocation is Love!” 

Theresa realized that she didn’t need to be a missionary, a martyr, or even a priest to respond to God’s call in her life. God was calling her to the vocation of Love. In other words, she was responding to the command of Jesus to love God with her whole heart, soul, and being, and to love her neighbor as herself. Therese realized that in her daily routine in the convent of the Daily Prayers and Mass, she was called to respond to God with love for Him and for all those she was called to pray for.

We, like St. Theresa, are all called to that same vocation of Love. Whether we’re married or single, parent or child, we all have the same Christian vocation: that of Love. We are to love God, and to love those people God has placed into our lives: our spouses, our children, and our families. It’s not always easy to love those in our families when we may be facing problems or issues with them, but our vocation is to respond to them with the Love that God has for each one of us.

As we spend time during the day reflecting on Scripture, praying at Mass, and doing our daily devotions of praying the rosary and any of the other devotions we do, let us ask God for this grace to have this love of Him and our neighbor. God will be there for us to help us to respond to this call of Love.

Also, if you ever get a chance, I highly recommend you read “The Story of a Soul” by St. Theresa. This beautiful book will help us to know more about who she was and how she responded to God’s call of Love. St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, pray for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                               

GOSPEL OF LIFE

 

Today we have a guest blogger, Arlene B. Muller. Arlene B. Muller (Arlene Clare Muller, OSF) is a lector and EM at St. Pancras parish, a singer in the choir at St. Margaret's parish, a professed Secular Franciscan at St. Adalbert's Secular Franciscan fraternity & an itinerant speech/language therapist working with preschool children with delayed language development. She enjoys writing and music and sharing Christian and pro-life posts on FACEBOOK.

In my first installment I referred to the connection between the GOSPEL and the GOSPEL OF LIFE and to fighting abortion, using the acronym P.L.E.A.: PRAYER, LEGAL/LEGISLATION, EDUCATE & EVANGELIZE, & ADVOCATE for women in crisis pregnancies to help & support their choosing LIFE. In my second installment I wrote about the importance of PRAYER without which nothing good can be accomplished, and the prayer petitions related to the pro-life cause. It is important that our efforts be centered in CHRIST and in the GOSPEL.

Regarding the legal and political aspects of fighting abortion I wish to point out the error of two opposing opinions:

1. The opinion that it is primarily a legal battle for which the sole answer is making abortion illegal. Although I agree 100% that we should strive to make abortion illegal, vote for pro-life candidates to the extent that our consciences will allow (always considering the sanctity of human life the PRE-EMINENT ISSUE but also considering other important issues as well as character and qualifications), promote pro-life legislation by signing petitions and writing/e-mailing/calling our political leaders and representatives, work on the political front and support pro-life groups that work on the legal and political fronts, make use of social media and the internet to communicate our views, etc., we must also pray, because it is a spiritual battle and because hearts must be changed, educate about fetal development and evangelize, and advocate by supporting pro-life pregnancy resource centers and organizations like GOOD COUNSEL HOMES and THE BRIDGE TO LIFE that provide support for women in crisis pregnancies before, during, and after birth, or else we could still wind up with women choosing illegal and unsafe abortions. Our goal must always be NOT ONLY TO MAKE ABORTION ILLEGAL BUT TO MAKE ABORTION UNTHINKABLE.

2. The opinion that we should NOT strive to make abortion illegal but merely provide more aid (usually from the government) to the poor and to single mothers in the hope that this will decrease abortions. Although we must definitely help the poor and help women in crisis pregnancies by providing for their medical and material needs before, during, and after birth, we should never promote, endorse, enable or be otherwise complicit with abortion, which is a grave evil, and although we must fight abortion on various fronts, it is highly probable that fewer women would choose to risk illegal or unsafe abortions. Also, we must always make a stand to defend the sanctity of human life in our nation and throughout the world.

I recommend that we support pro-life organizations. Two such organizations are the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which fights for the pro-life cause and for religious freedom in court, and Susan B. Anthony List, which supports and promotes pro-life political candidates, especially pro-life women political candidates.

Currently the battle between the GOSPEL OF LIFE vs the CULTURE OF DEATH is especially fierce. On the pro-life side we HOPEFULLY could be FINALLY close to OVERTURNING ROE V WADE and we have some states enacting pro-life legislation. At the same time the pro-abortion forces are pushing EXTREME pro-abortion legislation on the Federal level and threatening to ruin our duly appointed pro-life majority by stacking the Supreme Court with additional Justices who would be pro-abortion. Therefore, we must be vigilant in prayer and action for the sake of the GOSPEL OF LIFE.

The Love of Money is the Root of All Evils

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

This saying, I’m sure, is very familiar to many people. Many of us have probably heard only part of it: We have heard that money is the root of all evils, instead of the full quote. It is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evils.

In this reading from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul is teaching us that our primary focus should not be on the things of this world, but on love and service of God and of our neighbor. Paul is teaching that money in and of itself is not evil, bur rather, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Loving money, or anything else more than God, is a form of idolatry. Money, clothes, material wealth, are all tools for us to live out our lives in service of God and one another. Material wealth is not the end all of our existence.

St. Paul is also teaching against arguments and verbal disputes among the followers of Jesus Christ, which only lead to envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to not only have God as the center of who we are as Christians, but we are to show love and respect for all people. All this bickering amongst people shows selfishness and a lack of love and respect towards those people in our lives that are made in the image of God. We are not to imagine ourselves as being better or superior to anybody else. We are to live in humble service to God and to our neighbor.

Paul goes on to teach us that we are to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. By being righteous, we are called to live out our lives according to the laws of God. Further, we are to live out our lives with faith in God and are called to be patent and gentle with all those in our lives. That’s not always easy, but it is the thing that God expects us to do. Paul is reminding us that we are called to follow what the Lord Jesus Christ has taught us: to love God with our whole mind, heart and being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. These two great commandments are central to the teachings of Jesus Christ and who we are as Christians.

As we live out our day today, let us place all our cares, concerns, and worries into the loving hands of God. Let us be opened to His love for us. Let us not make anything or anyone more important to us than our love for God and our neighbor. It is then that we can find that peace and serenity that can only come from the loving hands of God.

Remove the wooden beam from your own; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today, our Lord is pointing out the dangers of us worrying too much about the sinfulness of other people in our lives. It’s easy for us to see the sinfulness of others and to judge them according to the standards that we understand from our Christian Faith. It’s good to pray for other people and their relationship with God, but our Lord is pointing out that we must first worry about our own relationship with God before we can turn to others and try to help them fix their lives.

What are the wooden beams in our eyes and the splinter that’s in our brother’s eyes that the Lord is talking about? Our Lord is talking about the sinfulness and shortcomings that we all have due to our sinful human nature. It is in our own sinfulness that we need to look at and to work on as we attempt to get closer to God. We need to improve our own relationship with God before we worry about other people’s relationship with God. In the gospel story about the woman caught in adultery, those who brought the woman before the Lord were all set to stone her to death for the sin she was caught doing and wanted Jesus to approve of the stoning. Jesus saw right through their hypocrisy and said, “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.”  Realizing their own sinfulness, they dropped the stones and left the woman alone to receive forgiveness and love from the Lord. All throughout the gospels, Jesus is teaching us about our need to improve our own relationship with God before we start worrying about the sinfulness of other.   We need to ask ourselves: Do we have God in the center of who we are? Do we spend time developing that relationship with God by the regular practice of prayer and reflection on scripture? Do we make the regular use of confession during the times when we fall short of who we are as Christians? In addition to our time in Church at mass and the prayers we do here, do we also spend time during the day in thanksgiving to God for the many gifts he has given us? It’s how we live our life that the Lord is pointing out in today’s gospel. The “wooden beam” is the ways we fall short in loving God and our neighbor. We are not to worry about how others are living their lives of faith in God, but rather we are to worry about where we are in our own relationship with Him.

When it comes to sin, and developing a life of holiness, we must adopt a “Me-first” mentality.  We need to take an honest look at our own lives before we try to point out sin in someone else. An honest Christian reserves his strictest criticism for himself. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:16 to watch your own life and doctrine closely, for in so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

As we grow closer to God in our daily prayer life and live in a way that is pleasing to God, we will start to remove that wooden beam that is in our eyes. Others will see how we are living and at this time we can start helping each other grow closer to the God who loves us without restrictions.  

Stand Firm and Let Jesus Do What He is Going to Do

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation

 

Mass readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church | USCCB

In our first reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, we hear Paul make it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Paul tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God and that in Him were created all things in heaven and earth. Paul goes on to teach that all things are created through Jesus and for Jesus. Jesus is the source of all creation. In Jesus all fullness was pleased to dwell.

As Catholic Christians we know and believe in the divinity of Jesus and in the realty of the Trinity: that there are three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Paul is confirming this realty when Paul tells us that “all things were created through him and for him.”

Paul is also reminding us in today’s reading that Christ is the “head of the Body, the Church.” As Christians we are called to live our lives in imitation of Christ. All that we are and all we do; we are to live our lives as followers of Christ Jesus. We are to live our lives with the knowledge and attitude of having Christ as preeminent in everything we do. This means that we are to have Him as the center of who are and to also love others as Jesus expects us to love them. By living out our lives in this way, others will see and take notice that we are not only talking about the love of Christ in our lives, but we are also actually living as Christ would want us to live. In this way, we can bring others to Christ by the example of who we are.

Mother St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” So, as followers of Christ, let us put the love of Christ into action by how we not only love God with our whole heart, mind and body, but also how we love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us put this love of God into action in our family, our friends, and with all those we meet each day.

Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 

Feast of St. Monica

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Monica | USCCB

We hear in our gospel today the familiar parable of the 10 virgins, 5 wise, and 5 foolish. With this parable, Jesus is helping us to see how we are to live out our lives in anticipation to our eventual meeting the Lord, whether it’s at the end of time with His 2^nd coming, or with our own eventual meeting God at the end of our own lives. We can ask ourselves: do we live our lives in a way that’s pleasing to God? Are we prepared to meet Him when the time comes? Or do we live out our lives like the unwise virgins, living our lives with no concern for our eventual destiny: entering heaven?

The lamps in today’s gospel can symbolize our hearts and spirit, which we need to have trimmed and ready for God, by living a life worthy of a follower of Christ. By keeping the commandment of love of God and love of neighbor, our “lamps” will be “trimmed and ready” when God calls us to meet the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

By not following God’s commandments and being focused only on our selfish needs, we will not be ready to answer God’s call and run the risk of having our Lord say, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.”

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, who could be considered one of the “wise virgins”. She spent her life doing God’s will in praying for the conversion of her son, Augustine. St. Augustine (who’s feast we celebrate tomorrow) would, due to her prayers, come to faith in Jesus Christ, Augustine would become not only a Christian, but a bishop and doctor of the church.  This is how she “trimmed her lamp”: by constant prayer for Augustine to become a Christian and receive salvation in his faith in Jesus Christ. Once God answered her prayers and Augustine was a Christian, she became sick and was close to death. In the Confessions of St. Augustine, he quotes his mother as saying, as she was close to her death, “I do not know why I am here still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died.” God answered her prayers, and she was ready to answer the call of the bridegroom when the Lord called her. Her lamp was trimmed, and she was able to enter into that heavenly banquet when God called her.

Let us imitate St. Monica by constantly praying for those in our family who need our prayers to come to know that they are in need of God’s love and forgiveness. Then we ourselves will in turn be ready for the Bridegroom when He calls us to the heavenly banquet.

The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments

 

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church | USCCB

In our gospel for today we have Jesus’ teaching on what it means to be obedient to the commandments of God. He took the 10 commandments and broke them down to two simple statements: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” “The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But is it really?

Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, means that we need to be able to have God as the center of who we are. We are not to have anyone or anything else more important to us than God. All our actions and decisions are to be made with God in mind. In other words, all our decisions are to be made in such a way that they are not against any of God’s laws and commands. Further all our possessions are a gift from God, so we need to make sure we are not making them to be more important to us than our love for God. Jesus is simply saying we are not to have other idols, or false gods, in our lives that we would make more important than our love for God.

The 2^nd commandment that Jesus points out is equally as challenging: we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves! There’s a hymn that I’m sure you may be familiar with, which says in the verse, “They will know that we are Christians by our love.” All throughout the gospels, our Lord points out who are neighbors are. With the parable about the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Last Judgement Day, our Lord points out that all those people that we come into contact within our day to day lives are our neighbors. Whether we like them or not, they are made in the image of God. By helping and loving other people, we in turn are helping and loving God. Our neighbors are not only those people that are in our families or live next door to us, but our neighbors are also those people that we come into contact within our day-to-day existence. It’s not always easy loving the people we meet each day, but that is what Jesus is calling us to do. We are to be kind and loving to all people, even with those that are most unlovable. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “The greatest science in the world; in heaven and on earth; is love.”

As we start each day with prayer and love towards God, let us ask Him for the gift of wisdom to love all those people that we meet in our lives, whether we want to or not. Let us pray for them and their intentions that they, too, will receive blessings from our loving Creator. And let us pray for ourselves that we may become more Christ-like in our encounters with the people in our lives that are not to our liking.

They are no longer two, but one flesh

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Our Lord is teaching us today the importance of the vocation of marriage and that God should be in the center of each marriage. Jesus is reminding us that, “…a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Our Lord is reminding us to enter into marriage carefully and with love and to keep God as the center of the marital relationship. Jesus, knowing the challenges of human relations, tells us that marriage is a spiritual bond that should not be rushed into. It’s not like some sort of “business deal” where if things get tough, you just dissolve the relationship and move on. Rather, each spouse, with their love for each other, are to help each other grow ever closer to God. The vows are very clear: in good times, and in bad times, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Further, they are to teach any children that come from this relationship, of the love that God has for them. It is the parents’ responsibility to bring the children up in the practice of their Christian faith. Is it easy? No! Is it worthwhile? Yes, it is!

The Pharisees in today’s gospel were looking at marriage not so much a relationship that should reflect God’s love, but simply as something that can be dissolved if things don’t work out. They were looking at it from the perspective of “law” as apposed to a relationship between a man and woman with God in the center. They seemed to be insensitive to the fact that there is more to marriage than just a contract. Marriage is the reflection of God’s love for us.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us, “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.”

Jesus further teaches in today’s gospel that, as important as marriage is, not everyone is called to be married. He goes on to say of marriage, “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.” What our Lord is teaching is that not everyone is meant to be married. Some are called to the single life, some to religious life or some to the priesthood. All vocational callings are from God and should not be taken lightly.

Let us pray for all married couples that in whatever struggles they are facing in their relationship, that they may keep God as the center of who they are as married people and show that mutual love and respect to each other so they can reflect that love of God to those in their life and to the world.

This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.

 

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord | USCCB

On this feast of the Transfiguration, we hear of the beautiful account of our Lord taking Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. Then they experience something they never expected: Jesus in His glorified appearance. His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller could bleach them. This was the divinity of Jesus becoming evident to the apostles. Then out of nowhere appearing with Jesus was Moses and Elijah. No wonder Peter, James and John were so terrified.

I often wonder what Moses, Elijah and Jesus had to say to each other during their exchange on the mountain. Since Jesus was the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament Laws and prophecies, with Moses as the one who received the law from God, and Elijah the prophet who was called to bring people back to the true worship of God, I think they were probably talking about the eventual suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross in fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies. And Peter, James and John were witnesses of this conversation in order to help them in their ministry once Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead on Easter Sunday and then ascended into heaven.

In the 2^nd letter of Peter, we hear Peter talk about that time on the Holy Mountain, indicating that they had been eyewitnesses of His Majesty. And Peter recalls the words that God the Father said to them of Jesus, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Further, in the gospel, we hear the Father say of Jesus, “Listen to him.”

The apostles would go into the whole world proclaiming Jesus Christ as savior, and we are Christians as a result of their sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, are, like the apostles, reminded by God to listen to God’s beloved Son. We are to be open to all that Jesus teaches us through Holy Scripture and through His Holy Church. By being open to the teachings of Jesus as taught through the Catholic Church, we are then being obedient to God and His command to listen to Him.

Then, once we embrace fully the teachings of God as understood in the Catholic Church, we too are called to bring this Good News to a world that is in so much need of the love and peace of God. We do this by how we live our lives: by loving God and loving our neighbor as our selves.

A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and home

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

There’s an old saying that goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” We hear in our gospel for today how the people that Jesus grew up with rejected Him and His teachings. They were saying, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” I can imagine them saying, “Who does he think he is?” The gospel goes on to say that they took offense at Him.

These are people that thought they “knew” Jesus throughout His life. Before His public ministry He went about His work as a carpenter. He didn’t appear to be anyone special. He went about His day-to-day life performing the tasks necessary as a carpenter. I’m sure, also, he was a regular at the synagogue on the sabbath. So, they “knew” him. They just didn’t think of him as anyone special. Then the next thing they know, Jesus was going all throughout the area teaching about the love that God has for all people and performing miracles. They found it hard to wrap their minds around the fact that this person, this Jesus, was more than just an uneducated carpenter. They were deaf to the truths he was teaching and blind to the miracles He was performing in God’s name. But Jesus didn’t let this rejection stop Him from continuing with His ministry of God’s love to others beyond His hometown.

We, in turn, can learn from Our Lord in how we live out our faith. We are called to follow Jesus and grow ever deeper in faith. There may be people in our lives that reject us for this faith in Jesus Christ. They may know things about our past that may not be so flattering. We, as sinful people, have a past that we may not be proud of, a past that other people may know and remember. But once we turn away from whatever sins we may have committed and put Jesus as the center of who we are, we are then called to share this good news of God’s love with those in our lives. People may ask, “Who do you think you are? You were never always that way!” Our turning towards God should be an ongoing conversion and an example of how others can lead a life of in relation with Him. We will always struggle with temptations that may attempt to bring us away from God, but we need to place these temptations in God’s hands to help us grow deeper in our relationship with Him. There will be those in our lives that may not understand us as we pursue this relationship with God. But don’t let that stop us. We are called to continue to get closer to Him through frequent prayer and meditation on scripture. Also, as we continue to grow in our relationship with God, we are called to make frequent use of the sacraments. In addition to receiving the Eucharist often, we should use the sacrament of reconciliation for the times we fall short in our following the Lord. Finally, let us pray for those in our lives that may not understand our relationship with God and are away from Him. Pray that they may come to know and understand the love, peace and forgiveness that can only come from God.

The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Our readings for today’s mass, from Exodus and from the Gospel of St. Matthew, is about how to live a life in relationship with God and with those people we come into contact with in our day to day living.

In our first reading we hear the 10 commandments as given to Moses. The commandments go into great detail as to how we should live our lives. In the gospel of St. Matthew, 22:36-40, when the Lord was asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” As people attempting to live a God centered life, this is how we are to live: love of God and love of neighbor. It’s not easy, but that is what God is calling us to do.

In the gospel, we hear from Jesus as to how hard it is in living out our lives in obedience to these commandments of God. In our lives we have distractions from the glamours and riches of this world as well as the various problems of our lives that takes our attentions from the fact that God should be the center of who we are. In the past year we dealt with the distraction of the pandemic that caused so many deaths of people we knew and loved. It’s times like this that our Lord was referring to when he indicated that worldly anxiety would choke the word of God in us. We were worried about our own health and well being and that of those we hold dear. We may have started to feel that God was not present to as we dealt with this deadly disease. We may have questioned as to why God would allow such horrible things to happen. The answer is not always clear. It’s hard to understand and to trust that God is present when so much suffering and death has occurred.

As challenging as it is, we are called to take our faith in Jesus Christ and face these problems with trust that God will always be with us, even in times of suffering and pain. We need to place our cares and concerns into His loving hands to ask for healing and understanding.

We are called to be open and trusting of God is in our lives, even when things happen that we don’t understand.  It is through the reading of the Word of God in Scripture that can receive understanding of what God is trying to teach us, and then we can bear fruits and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Lord Jesus, help us to remove any obstacles to your word in our hearts and help us to bear great fruit for you! Amen!

You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not easy. We hear in our gospel today of Jesus warning His followers that people will hand them over to the courts and they will be scourged. Further our Lord spoke of family members, parents, and children, turning in relatives for being His followers. With that in mind, being a follower of Jesus does not seem to be very appealing, does it? What are the rewards of following Jesus if all this will happen to you? The answer is that our Lord promises something greater than the rewards of earthly benefits. Eternal salvation. “Whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

Today we commemorate the Blessed Chinese Martyrs from the 19^th century, Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions. Saint Augustine was a Catholic priest and was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ in 1815. He preached Jesus Christ at a time and place that wasn’t accepting of the good news of Jesus Christ, and as a result, he was put to death. His sharing the Gospel and the fact that he was a follower of Jesus Christ was more important to him than his earthly life. Along with Saint Augustine there were 119 more people willing to give up their lives as Martyrs for their faith in the Lord. They chose to remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ and be martyred rather than save their mortal lives by denying Christ. There were bishops, priests, religious sisters and brothers, lay people, boys and girls and children of many ages that were put to death for their faith in Jesus Christ. Through their torture and death, they bore the riches of Christ in word and deed. They knew and embraced the words our Lord spoke today, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

Two examples given by Pope John Paul II of these martyrs is Fourteen-year-old Anna Wang and Eighteen-year-old Xi Guizi. Anna, as she offered to have her head cut off, said, “The gates of heaven is open to all.” Xi Guizi, upon facing martyrdom, said, “Every part of my body, every drop of my blood will bring to your memory that I am a Christian.”

All of us are called to that strong faith in the Lord. We may not be facing cruel torture and death for our faith, but we are called to share our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with others in our lives, including family and friends, no matter the cost. As you share your faith in Jesus Christ with others, the Holy Spirit will be with you with the right words to bring the love of Christ to those we are called to share our faith with. As you share your faith with others, pray that they, too, will receive the gift of faith.

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them...

 

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today we hear of Jesus healing a demoniac and continuing through out the towns and villages proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and curing every disease and illness. Jesus was bringing the love and healing to those that needed to know the love of God. The Pharisees failed to understand what our Lord was all about. Jesus had the pity and love that was most needed towards those people who felt isolated and alone. The Pharisees were about holding onto their status in society. Our Lord was all about leading people into relationship with God, no matter what their status was in society.

Our Lord went on to talk about the laborers for the harvest. Laborers are those that bring the love of God to society. They can be priests, deacons, nuns and missionaries, but they are also those laborers in the medical field. During this past year during the pandemic, the doctors, nurses and all health care professionals that were there for those suffering and dying as a result of COVID were the laborers brining the love and healing power of God to those in most need of feeling the loving presence of God. By their constant presence to those in most need of God's love and healing, they were there for them. Jesus was indeed working through these front line workers. 

May God continue to bless and protect those health care providers who made the health and well being of others more important than their own safety and helath.

Wake Up From Your Wokeness

A prophet is not without honor except in his native place...

 

The scripture readings for today can be found at Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB

Today's gospel reminds me of the old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt." People  that have known Jesus his whole life found it hard to accept the fact that he was more than just the carpenter, the son of Mary. They knew him growing up and saw him grow and mature into manhood. To them he was just one of them. To them, he was nothing special. They couldn't understand how someone they consider so ordinary could be in fact a prophet, or even the Messiah!! To them, he was "just Jesus, the carpenter!"

How many of us can relate to this rejection of Jesus by the people who thought they knew him so well? Many of us, while growing up, may have lived just ordinary lives and were never really living a God centered life. We weren't leading lives that were "bad," but God just wasn't that important to us. We were just living out our lives without any thought of having God in the center of who we are. We were just "ordinary!" Once we came to realize that God should be the center of who we are, our family and friends started to say, "Who does he/she think he/she is?" And thus reject our sincere efforts in living a Godly life. After all, these people that may have known us for our whole life, or at least a long time, can think that our developing relationship with God is "not real."

Jesus would go on to continue His ministry to those open to the fact that He was indeed not only a prophet, but the Messiah. I'm sure our Lord prayed for those that had rejected him, but that didn't stop from bringing the love of God to others that were open to hear His message of love and forgiveness. 

We, too, are called to continue to develop our relationship with God in a way that is good for us in order to gain salvation. Further, we are called to share the love of God with everyone we meet, whether they accept the message or not. And, if by chance, they reject our message, just pray for them that they too one day know the loving presence of God in their lives.