A little while

A little while

Bethlehem is just 10 kilometres from Jerusalem. You’d walk it in a couple of hours. It took Jesus thirty years and more, years that led him to Egypt as a refugee, Nazareth as a child and a carpenter’s apprentice and then a packed life of proclaiming the reign of God to a resistant people. A few stayed with him to the end, regrouping after being scattered by the events leading to his death. These witnessed his final appearances after he rose from the dead.

Neither Matthew nor John mentions it but there was a tradition that he finally left them by dramatically withdrawing from them, ascending to heaven. This is recalled in our creeds and it is expanded in the letter to the Ephesians into a final exaltation of him as “ruler of everything … far above every Sovereignty, Authority and Power not only in this world but in the age to come.” It is always dazzling to me how soon the early Church made this transition from Jesus of Nazareth to ‘ruler of everything’ in just a few years.

And what is more, they recognised that the barriers were broken down between heaven and earth. This is a key to our understanding of the Ascension; one moment Jesus is with those he calls “my friends” and the next he is withdrawing from them into heaven. No wonder John was to write many years later, “You will see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (1:51). At its best, religion leads us to the compassionate heart of God and a discovery of his longing to share his life with us.

How far this is from the grotesque news we heard this week of the young pregnant woman in Pakistan stoned for following the love of her heart. Religion, all religions, can be used to build barriers and shut out the friendship God offers. We have a right and a duty to be outraged at any form of abuse of relationships which is so contrary to God’s purpose. The message of the Ascension is the direct opposite of any form of manipulation and control which blocks access to a loving God.

We have work to do. The disciples had work to do. They had been told about “a little while” (John 16:16) in which they would not see him. This applied, firstly, to his death and their seeing him again. But it also applied to that time when they would carry out their mission and we would carry out ours. We don’t have much time. Wherever you look there are urgent things to address; global warming, human trafficking, oppressive traditions (as with the woman in Pakistan) and many others on our own door step. This is no time for “staring into the heavens” (Acts1:11) but of engagement in the issues staring us in the face.  

1 June 2014                 Ascension Day A

Acts 1:1-11                 Eph 1:17-23                            Matt 28:1-20

A VISIT FULL OF MEANING

PRAYER MOMENT             

Saturday 31 May 2014

A VISIT FULL OF MEANING

Pause. Be still in the presence of Mary and El;izabeth

Reading: “Blessed is she who believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:39-56)

Reflection. We meet people all the time and most of our meetings are soon forgotten. But there are meetings when some new electricity is generated! Something happens. We come away feeling renewed. I have come across the expression ‘the sacrament of meeting’, meaning some life changing grace is generated. Mary, we are told, ‘hurried’ to meet Elizabeth. She could not wait to tell her the news. Elizabeth knew in her heart something big had happened and expresses her blessing. Mary in her turn acknowledges the event and breaks into a song of praise which would be repeated in the Church all over the world ‘from this day on.’ God made all his plans dependent on the consent of a humble obscure girl in a remote village.

Prayer. Lord, we honour your Mother and ours on this day of her visit to her cousin. We thank you for the gift of Mary and pray that she may help us to come close to you. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

A GREAT MANY CORINTHIANS BECAME BELIEVERS

PRAYER MOMENT             

Thursday, 29 May 2014

A GREAT MANY CORINTHIANS BECAME BELIEVERS

Pause. Be present in Corinth with Paul.

Reading: “A great many Corinthians who had heard him became believers and were baptised.” (Acts 18:1-8)

Reflection. After being frustrated in Athens Paul finds a warm welcome in Corinth. He was to write three letter to them later, though one is lost. And later in the century Clement, one of the early leaders of the Church of Rome, was to write a further lengthy letter to them. So here we have a truly vibrant early community full of joys and quarrels! The enthusiasm and the imperfections of the church through the ages are already present in Corinth. Many groups have broken away from the church over the centuries seeking a “purer” more perfect church but not finding one. There is no escaping the rough edges of our human Christian communities. The great thing is to relish the core which is the presence of Jesus in his church.    

Prayer. Lord, we never cease to thank you for the energy and self-giving of St Paul and the wonders of the early communities on which we are built. Help us to build one another today with kindness and compassion. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND EXIST

PRAYER MOMENT             

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND EXIST

Pause. Be present in Athens as Paul speaks before the Council.

Reading: “Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is n him we live and move and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said; “We are all his children.” (Acts 17:15ff)

Reflection. The description of Paul’s dramatic missionary journeys brings us to Athens, the proud centre of Greek culture and learning. He tries to meet them on their own ground by paying respect to their traditions and monuments but the general reception is hostile. He shakes the dust from his feet and moves on to Corinth. What can we say? The more educated the harder to convince? Maybe! But the choice is always free. Dionysius and Demaris accepted Paul and others didn’t. Why? We cannot rush to give our answer. We can only look into our own hearts and wonder where I come in.   

Prayer. Lord, you offer life in so many ways. Help us to open our hearts to your coming each day, each moment. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

THE SUFFERINGS OF PAUL

PRAYER MOMENT (Apologies for the break due to internet problems)

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

THE SUFFERINGS OF PAUL

Reading. “The crowd joined in and showed its hostility to Paul and Silas, so the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be flogged.” Acts 16:22-34

Reflection. The last days of Easter time are laced with the promise of the Spirit which would enable the disciples to understand and act as Jesus did. Led by the Spirit Paul and Silas reach Europe and receive a warm welcome from Lydia. Then things turn nasty and they are dragged before the magistrates for driving out a particularly lucrative spirit. We are told they are flogged and thrown into prison. Paul was flogged and stoned and shipwrecked many times and it is astonishing to recall what he “had to suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). Sometimes we descend into gloom and self-pity when suffering comes to us. Paul was proud of suffering for the name.

Prayer. God, our Father, teach us not to panic when suffering and frustration come our way. Teach us that this is “the way” we grow into you and reflect in our life the creative Spirit of your Son. Amen

Monday, 26 May 2014

SHE WOULD TAKE NO REFUSAL

Reading: Lydia saidto Paul, “If you really think me a true believer in the Lord, come and stay with us.” And she would take no refusal. Acts 16:11-15

Reflection. “The eternal Father’s plan was to dignify men and women with a participation in his own divine life.” So opens the most central document of Vatican II (Lumen Gentium). God reaches out to his creation and invites us to share in his life. Lydia’s response, in one of the most moving passages in the Acts, was to insist with Paul that, yes, she wanted this share. It is the beginning of Paul’s ministry in Greece, in Europe, and it finds immediate acceptance in this woman whose name has been preserved by the early church, She was gripped by the gospel on day one and she is one of those countless women down the ages who welcomes the Father’s plan with joy and determination and oopens the way for others. It is something to celebrate on Africa Day.

Prayer. Lord, give us that same enthusiasm for the good news that we see in Lydia. Help us to welcome your into our house and “take no refusal” in excuses and half measures. Amen. 

Family matters

Family matters

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus says these words to us, but sometimes they are hard to take. Every age seems to have its share of troubles. Today, we are concerned about the family. Pope Francis has called two meetings, a year apart, to reflect deeply where we are today. Archbishop Ndlovu of Harare told a recent meeting of church leaders at St Paul’s, Musami: “We used to talk of a husband, wife and children when we talked of a family but no longer.”

The archbishop went on to remind us that many children have a single parent or grand- parent or no parent at all. “Some single parents might have been left by their spouses who went off to the diaspora and don’t return.” From both the legal and the church point of view the spouse, nearly always the wife, is left high and dry. And the children suffer. The archbishop, echoing Pope Francis, calls us to understanding, compassion and care, not condemnation or judgement.

Family life is a beautiful reality when it is lived intentionally; focused on each other and not on self. We have all seen countless families where the father, no matter how often drawn away by work, constantly returns in this hearth as to the centre of his life. Children do not feel abandoned even though there are periods when one or other parent is away.

An idealistic view of family serves no one and sometimes the “Holy Family” of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is portrayed as such. It is surely likely that there were all the worries and heart aches of any stretched family there in Nazareth. It would have hardly been human if there were not moments of irritation, anger or impatience. Jesus in his adult life was driven to the limit by his disciples. “Do you still not understand? Are your minds closed? Do you not remember?” (Mark 8:17)

It is how we deal with the emotions, tensions and frustrations that arise in the family that marks it out as a happy family or a dysfunctional one. The Christian message of commitment, “till death do us part,” serves as anchor to hold us from drifting too far. We come back again and again to this foundation so that the rough and smooth in family life eventually produces that contentment and peace that we often see in old people.

So, ‘do not let your hearts be troubled’ is sound advice here as in many other ways.

18 May 2014               Sunday 5 of Easter A

Acts 6:1-7                   I Pet 2:4-9                   Jn 14:1-12      

TO HAVE SEEN ME IS TO HAVE SEEN THE FATH

PRAYER MOMENT               

Saturday, 17 May 2014

TO HAVE SEEN ME IS TO HAVE SEEN THE FATHER

Pause. Be present at the last supper of Jesus and his disciples.

Reading: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? To have seen me is to have seen the Father.” (John 14:7-14)

Reflection. What would Philip have made of this answer? What do we make of it? When Jesus is alone with his closest friends at the climax of his mission, he reveals to them, insofar as they can grasp it, the relationship between himself and the Father. “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” John’s gospel takes us far along the road to knowing God in a way the ancient Jews had never conceived of. The thunder and lightning of Mount Sinai is replaced by a gentle intimate presence accessible to human beings. In Jesus, we can know the Father through the Spirit, given to us. We rejoice and we tremble. And it gives us urgency every time we say, “Our Father … your will be done!”  

Prayer. Lord, you reveal the Father to us. Help us to relish this knowledge and do his will in all things. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

SENDING AND WELCOMING

PRAYER MOMENT             

Thursday, 15 May 2014

SENDING AND WELCOMING

Pause. Be present at the last supper of Jesus and his disciples.

Reading: “Whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me, and who ever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (John 13:16-20)

Reflection. The dynamism of the Acts of the Apostles moves rapidly from Peter, who dominates the early chapters and is associated in the first place with the mission to the Jews, to Paul, who takes over the remainder of the book and whose mission is to the gentiles. There is a sense of energy, urgency and movement and the underlying motif is the saying of Jesus we have today about sending and welcoming. The mission of the early church flows from the events of Holy Week, the Paschal Mystery, and the sending and welcoming continues to today. We are sent, whoever we are and whatever our calling. We are also all welcomers. In my recent trip to Nigeria that word “welcome” seemed to be on everyone’ lips all the time! It is a beautiful word. It applies to everything in our day. God is present through the people he sends and when we welcome them we welcome Jesus and the One who sent him.

Prayer. Lord, help us to welcome you in the people and events of our day. And help us to hera your gentle voice sending us. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

I CALL YOU FRIEND

PRAYER MOMENT             

Wednesday, 14 May 2014, St Matthias

I CALL YOU FRIENDS

Pause. Be present at the last supper of Jesus and his disciples.

Reading: “I shall not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends because I have made know to you everything.” (John 15:9-17)

Reflection. Matthias makes one appearance (Acts 1:15-26) and then disappears. His role is to make up “the twelve” again after Judas fell out. His qualification was that he was “someone who has been with us.” The gospel speaks of the intimacy of this relationship. At the last supper Jesus expresses this in terms of “making known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.” This is an astonishing saying. The first twelve chapters of John describe Jesus’ relationship with “the Jews” who never get far in understanding him or his message. In the remaining chapters the focus shifts to his immediate disciples whom he calls “friends.” That focus remains today. There are the many who pay scant attention, and there are the few who are called to “know everything” and to stand for the many.

     

Prayer. Lord, you call us friends. But that gives us the task of witnessing to you among the many we live among. Help us to fulfil tis task. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

THE LORD HELPED THEM

PRAYER MOMENT             

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

PRAYER MOMENT             

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

THE LORD HELPED THEM

Pause. Be still before God.

Reading: Acts 11:19-26

Reflection. I have just returned from a journey to Nigeria and Kenya and I am struck by the variety of ways people are working to help others and to help themselves. And there is a third member of this trinity in that the Lord is helping them in both of these. Influential people – judges, lawyers, chiefs – are working with ordinary men and women to assist disabled people to find their place, their fulfilment, in the church and in society. People who have been locked away (literally) by their families, out of confused shame, are coming out into the world and sharing their own joy in the gift of life. Once the barrier is down, and the doors opened, amazing things happen and wounded people rejoice.  

     

Prayer. Lord, we ask you to help us break down the barriers we build to protect ourselves from others. Introduce us to the wonder of meeting those whom we would not normally meet. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

Pause. Be still before God.

Reading: Acts 11:19-26

Reflection. I have just returned from a journey to Nigeria and Kenya and I am struck by the variety of ways people are working to help others and to help themselves. And there is a third member of this trinity in that the Lord is helping them in both of these. Influential people – judges, lawyers, chiefs – are working with ordinary men and women to assist disabled people to find their place, their fulfilment, in the church and in society. People who have been locked away (literally) by their families, out of confused shame, are coming out into the world and sharing their own joy in the gift of life. Once the barrier is down, and the doors opened, amazing things happen and wounded people rejoice.  

     

Prayer. Lord, we ask you to help us break down the barriers we build to protect ourselves from others. Introduce us to the wonder of meeting those whom we would not normally meet. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ

PRAYER MOMENT             

Monday, 12 May 2014

WHO AM I TO JUDGE?

Pause. Be still before God.

Reading: Acts 11:1-18

Reflection. Peter was questioned by the church in Jerusalem about his going to the house of the gentile Cornelius (chap. 10) and baptising him. Up to that time the mission of the apostles had been to the “house of Israel” and the “elders” were still in the traditional mind-set that the mission of Jesus was only to the Jews. It shocked them that their mission was truly, as Jesus had indicated, to the whole world and these two chapters, 10 and 11, are a careful explanation as to how this came about. It was the first of many conversions the church was to go through up to today. Peter’s explanation, in the course of which he says, “Who was I to stand in the way of the Spirit?,” satisfied them. In another context Pope Francis also said recently, “Who am I to judge?” The church is often seen, by those inside her and outside, as fixed and solid. But her true nature is to be precarious and wondering.   

     

Prayer. Lord, help us to be open to the many ways and times you call us to change our way of thinking. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ

Absorbing the blows

Absorbing the blows

“To the governor’s amazement, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges.” Pilate is astonished that Jesus does not defend himself (Matt 27:14). And elsewhere it says, “He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults” (1 Pet 2:23). Throughout his passion Jesus does not complain or threaten. He was walking his own talk, “If anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well.” (Matt 5:39).

Such quotes are familiar to us and it can be hard to recover their sharpness. Who has ever heard of someone who does not try to defend himself? When we confront someone we always expect a response, a defence. We would be astonished if someone did not at least try to explain their actions. Why does Jesus not defend himself?

He is well aware that the charges against him are contrived and false. You can try to prove that they are false but if you know the judges are not interested in what is true or false you are wasting your time. This was Jesus’ dilemma throughout his life. What do you do when people do not accept the truth, turn their back on your message? Jesus’ way was simply to say nothing since there was literally nothing he could do.

I have often been impressed by people who do not complain when things go wrong. They simply remain silent and wait. A lot of people in Zimbabwe and in Africa generally do that. There is so much “untruth”, so many unjust structures heaped against them; there are so many ways in which they cannot advance. Surely they should complain and shout and scream. But they don’t. They keep up a dignified silence. They wait.

Some might call it passivity, cowardice, or that they are anaesthetised by religion to suffer without complaining. There is some truth in this. But I also think there is a quiet dignity and integrity in continuing to struggle and do what one can without complaining. Absorbing the blows that life deals us is not always a passive way of living. It can also be an active way of working through the suffering of the world, which is what redemption is all about.

I have often been astonished by the quiet dignity of people with disabilities. I have just been visiting a home for handicapped people in Nigeria and life is hard for them. Yet they do not ask for pity. They do not complain. They just absorb it all quietly, day after day. Are we to say their life is useless? They don’t “do” anything. The Christian mystery tells us their life is at the heart of the gospel; the passion. They suffer with Jesus and he suffers in them. It is a mix that gives life to the world. And for “the healthy” who share their life with them there is often an extraordinary but quiet conversion.

11 May 2014   Sunday 4A of Easter

 Acts 21:4, 36-41        1Pet 2: 20-25   John 10: 1-10

Not today

PRAYER MOMENT
Friday 9th May
Sorry, can't manage today. Travelling. DHB

THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

PRAYER MOMENT             

Thursday, 8 May 2014

THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

Pause. Be present in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Reading: “Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” (John 6:44-51)

Reflection. We continue to explore the riches of John, chapter six. The “life of the world!” The world already had “life” before the coming of Jesus and many today consider the world has a life of its own: we don’t need Jesus. But what God is offering in Jesus is a vast expansion of what we call “life.” People are alive, yes. But often their lives are wearisome. As I write I am in Nigeria where I see huge numbers of people squeezing a life out of what remains when the powerful have taken their share. I find a quiet patience and dignity as people struggle to make a living. They are nourished on the bread of life and it is clear to see. But the intention of Jesus is not only that they enjoy the fullness of life in the Spirit. That “life” is to flow over into this world through justice and the fair distribution of the gifts of the earth.  

     

Prayer. Lord, you are the life of the world! Help us to welcome that life and share it with our brothers and sisters. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ

WHOM THE FATHER GIVES ME

PRAYER MOMENT             

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

WHOM THE FATHER GIVES ME

Pause. Be present in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Reading: “You can see me and still you do not believe. Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me.” (John 6:35-40)

Reflection. “Everyone the Father gives me!” Does that mean there are some he does not give me? Any puzzling out we do about the meaning of texts has to come second to the clear message of the gospel: Jesus came to offer his life for everyone. There are no exceptions. Why some are drawn to the things of the spirit while others dismiss these as distractions from the pursuit of power and wealth is hard, perhaps impossible, to understand. It leads us into the question of evil and why free beings make evil choices. They prefer short term gratification to long term peace of mind. John chapter six tells us that God’s gift of the bread of life is for all. Even the Father is not free. He can only draw people to his Son when he sees the spark of goodness in the heart of a person. If he finds nothing he cannot “give” us to his Son.

     

Prayer. Lord, we ask you to “draw” us to your Son. We can be so resistant. Purify our hearts that we may notice your gentle drawing. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ

THE BREAD OF LIFE

PRAYER MOMENT             

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

THE BREAD OF LIFE

Pause. Be present in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Reading: “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will even hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst.” (John 6:30-35)

Reflection. The bread of life! It is a phrase of different layers of meaning and the dialogue pushes the reader/hearer to move beyond the immediate to the deeper. The Jews understand the first meaning. Jesus shows he is a prophet by performing a miracle in multiplying bread. He then draws them further by the reference to the manna in the desert. All of this is a preparation for the life that God is offering. The bread of the Eucharist is the focus of this life. Eating his body and drinking his blood unites the receiver with the source. It unites the believer with the Lord who shares his divine life with him or her. It also has a ripple effect on the whole world. There are many who receive a share in this life without expressly reaching for it. But they receive it anyway because their lives are good and they seek the truth.

   

Prayer. Lord, you are the bread of life who has come into our world to share your life with every person and every society. Prise open our confused hearts to receive your great gift so that your world may be transformed and your reign come. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ

SEEING THE SIGNS

PRAYER MOMENT               

Monday, 5 May 2014

SEEING THE SIGNS

Pause. Be present in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Reading: “You are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.” (John 6: 22-29)

Reflection. Jesus came to offer the “gift of God” (John 4:10) but many had their eyes on something less. Religion offers many attractions: community, identity, status and even some financial perks. I write from Nigeria where there is deep dismay about how religion threatens to tear the nation apart. Religion can be used for evil purposes but it can also be used as a support system where there is no moral blame beyond a settling for the minimum – a sort of pass mark. But Jesus says, “Look!” Look at the signs in your midst. Can you not see what is happening? Can you not see that God has made his dwelling among us? (John 1:14) Since he has done so much, even giving up his own Son to death for us, is it likely that he will deny us the ope thing that will make us completely happy? (Rom 8:32)   

   

Prayer. Lord, teach us to reach beyond the immediate and to glimpse what you are calling us to. Forgive us for settling what is immediate and easy and avoiding the long term harder search for you and your will. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ

As I will be traveling over the next 10 days my contributions may be intermittent

Apologies and thanks. David Harold Barry

A change of heart

A friend of mine pulled himself out of an alcohol induced downward spiral and is now helping others to overcome addiction based self-destructing compulsions. It is awesome to witness and opens a window on a dream that others whose addictions are to power and the unreflecting pursuit of wealth would do the same. Yet a change of heart, history tells us, is rare. Once a person becomes accustomed to a way of life that compromises his or her integrity it is a hard struggle to draw back.

The Easter narratives tell us of two individuals who literally turned back. They gave up on the whole “Jesus effect” and set off for Emmaus, presumably returning home. They reckoned without Jesus himself who also set out to find them and probe them with questions. They did not know the person walking beside them was Jesus no more that countless people know the origins of the questions that probe their own consciences.

But they listened, and as the journey progressed they felt their “hearts burning” within. This was the prelude to recognising who their companion was and a literal turnaround of their fortunes. Also in the Easter narratives we hear several times of Peter “standing up” and addressing people in a “loud voice”. They listened and “were cut to the heart” and asked, “What are we to do?”

The Easter season is a time of listening and allowing the message to enter deep into us. How hard it is to listen! Not with the ears but with the heart. How hard it is to stop and deeply reflect on the direction of my life! I am so used to do things “my way.” I am kind of set in the way I react and respond. It is almost a reflex. People can predict what I am going to say. It is almost a formality asking my opinion. They know already what my answer will be.

But what if I dug deeper? What, if I came in touch with a reality greater than the little world I have created for myself? What if I allowed myself to change! Pope Francis openly admits that he was set on a certain way, until he met the poor of Buenos Aires. They profoundly changed him. Or rather he allowed them to change him. He did not resist the voice that said, ‘Turn around and go back to Jerusalem.’ He did it and became the man the world reveres.   

4 May 2014                 Third Sunday of Easter A

Acts 2:14, 22-28         1 Pet 1:17-21              Luke 24:13-35              

FIVE BARLEY LOAVES AND TWO FISH

PRAYER MOMENT             

Friday, 2 May 2014

FIVE BARLEY LOAVES AND TWO FISH

Pause. Be present on the hillside with the ‘large crowd’.

Reading: “There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?” (John 6:1-15)

Reflection. Some committee in Rome forty years ago must have had fun deciding which parts of John’s gospel to put in late Lent (the tension and confrontation bits) and which parts in Easter time (the growth and consolation bits). Here is an example of the latter. A few loaves and fish feed a large crowd and “twelve hampers” of scraps were left over. That last detail itself gives us pause for thought. God multiplies the effects of the smallest human efforts by the “smallest” people. When we try to do something with all our heart it has a ripple effect that we do not know. And, as has often been pointed out, this passage has Eucharistic echoes that are not separate from these efforts. The mention of bread will tell us that. It is all one offering.

   

Prayer. Lord, help us to come with our daily offering of our lives. Bless and multiply what we do so that your people may have life, your life. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ