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Pope St. John Paul II consistently used the expression “Culture of Life”. His hope was that if people came to appreciate how sacred every life is, we would be able to diminish the effects of the “Culture of Death”. If he were still alive today and were to reflect on what is happening within the church in the United States as well as our country in general, I think he would coin the words “Culture of Fear.” This culture is evident in the significant divisions that exist across our society. The antidote to this crippling aspect of current living would be a “Culture of Love.” Could it be that a vast majority of people have difficulty believing that we are all the handiwork who is created in the image of God, the image of love that knows no limits? To be continued. If anyone has comments or questions or wishes to propose any topics for this section, please let me know. ~ Fr. Roman

Our second reading for this Sunday states that "we are always courageous." That certainly is our hope. But in many situations, we are anything but courageous. Sometimes, we even feel that we have been discounted as others state their convictions with such force and with an ideological twist that is so different from our own. Without judging one another, at times it seems that some people just want to create an argument that we realize quickly will get nowhere but be a waste of time and energy. At other times, we might simply be lost as to how to respond. In the coming weeks, I want to explore this type of interaction and try to understand why people act this way and what we can do about it. If anyone has questions or suggestion about this topic, please let me know.

This Sunday’s Psalm includes a precious question. “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” We notice how God takes the initiative in blessing us. Our part in this very blessed situation is to renew our commitment to be God’s servant following the example of Jesus. Our fulfillment comes as we continue to dedicate our energies to being people who accept the love of God and find everyway possible to make that love real in our relationships. Just as God is generous without limit or condition, so we imitate Jesus by loving God, self and one another.