Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Jesus uses two ordinary household items to teach about discipleship and what does God expect of us. Today, salt does not have the same preciousness and uniqueness that it had at the time of Jesus. But in Jesus’ day salt was used as payment for work. The word salary comes from salt.
It was used to p reserve food and give it a more pleasing taste.
Newborn babies were rubbed with salt for medicinal purposes.
Salt was added to clay pottery and tiles in the firing phase would provide the glaze.
Agreements of friendships were sealed by taking salt together.
Salt that remains in a box doesn’t do any good.
Salt used moderately is beneficial; too much salt is toxic and potentially fatal.You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house.

The symbol is a candle or a torch, which dispels darkness; gives warmth; gives a sense of direction; draws people together around it.
The light of a candle gives of itself; it burns itself out. If it is never lit, it doesn’t fulfill its purpose.
To think that being a Christian is to focus only on God is like hiding once light (life). We are called to love God and others, to serve God and others, to be a light to others for the sake of God.
Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.
Both salt and light have a mission. So to do we.
Just as salt and light do not focus on themselves but have a purpose outside, so we are called as disciples to bring the good news of Jesus love and life to others. We are called to make a difference in the life of others.
What kind of a disciple am I? Am I using the gifts God has given me to make a difference in my life and in the life of others?

"Your mortification should be your diligence in doing your duties and in putting up with the

annoyances of others." (St John Bosco) Often we look for or fear the many extreme
mortifications of some saints. God may have led them to these practices, but these are not
necessary for holiness for us. St. John Bosco gives us a different understanding of mortification. Accept and embrace the situation of the moment (outside of sin) to be the will of God for me. In the words of St. Paul: "Let everything whatsoever that you do, whether in word or in deed, be done all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17) The daily circumstances of our life can become opportunities to grow in holiness or stumbling blocks for sin on our road of life. For instance, how do you deal with that one person who is like a thorn in your side? Or how do you respond to the person who drives in the passing lane below the speed limit? Or how do you deal with a family member whose habits irritate you? These are opportunities to perform self-restraint and patience which, done out of love for Jesus, can draw us closer to God. Mortification doesn't have to painful but fruitful.

"We are all wounded people. Who wounds us? Often those whom we love and those who love us. When we feel rejected, abandoned, abused, manipulated, or violated, it is mostly by people very close to us: our parents, our friends, our spouses, our lovers, our children, our neighbors, our teachers, our pastors. Those who love us wound us too. That's the tragedy of our lives. This is what makes forgiveness from the heart so difficult. It is precisely our hearts that are wounded. We cry out, 'You, who I expected to be there for me, you have abandoned me. How can I ever forgive you for that?' Forgiveness often seems impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. The God who lives within us will give us the grace to go beyond our wounded selves and say, 'In the Name of God you are forgiven.'" Let's pray for that grace."(Henri Nouwen) We are all wounded to some degree. It is part of the human journey. For some the wound is deep; for others it is not. Many of us continue to allow these wounds to fester and cause other problems. We have tried many "human" remedies but to no success. We have heard of the "divine" remedy, forgiveness, but feel we can't go there. However, only when we believe and embrace this remedy of God can we find release and freedom from the past. It is a process, but in the end the fruit of wholeness will be there.

People throughout time have fought battles and wars, killed and given their lives in the continual struggle for independence. Within each person there is a need to be free and self-governed. From the time a child is born there is a movement from dependence to independence. Adolescents and young adults express this in a spirit of rebellion against parental authority and indeed against all authority. To break with the past and to embrace the new fad seems to be an ever recurrent experience. In the name of freedom people are willing to sell their souls from fleeting pleasures.

Dependence seem to connote the idea of lack of freedom and under the control and domination of another. But at times the struggle to be independent and free may really turn out to be exchanging one domination for another.

In the Gospel Jesus speaks of real freedom and true self-identity which involves dependence upon another, freely chosen.

Blessed are the poor in spirit! This doesn't mean "blessed are the depressed or downcast or those broken in spirit.  Rather it means that the poor in spirit are blessed, because regardless of what they have or do not have, they choose to be totally dependent upon the Lord for everything. There is a freeom in not worrying about tomorrow--what we are to wear or eat or drink. We are told instead to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Then all these things shall be ours.

To be dependent upon the Lord for everything is a scary thing unless there is a relationship of trust and love. How can I yield my life to another unless I believe that the other person truly loves me and wants my best?

What Jesus invites us into is a relationship which frees us from incompleteness. God created  me in relation to him. I am not complete outside of that relationship. I am not my full person; I am not truly free and independent of that relationship. By nature I am one in relationship to another. I must be in a relationship, either in this one which frees me to be me or another, which enslaves me to be what another wants me to be.

We are called by the prophet Zephaniah in the first reading to be humble and to live in the truth. The humble person acknowledges that need for God which is integral to his very being.

When we sin and return to the Lord, we express our dependence upon his forgiveness and mercy. Like the prodigal son of the merciful father. He came to the realization that alone he would die totally deprived of dignity, but in relationship to his father, he would have life and purpose once more.

"Trustful surrender of a present good is the way to open oneself up to God's gift of something greater." (St. Theresa Benedicta)

"I admonish you, Timothy, to stir into flame the grace of God, which is in you....For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of virtue, and of love, and of self-restraint. So be not ashamed our your testimony for the sake of the Gospel." (St. Paul Second Letter to Timothy 1:6-7) God has given us the gift of his Holy Spirit in Baptism and in Confirmation. We sometimes forget the spiritual powers we have been given. We too need to ask God to stir these gifts once more in us so that we can boldly testify to the person of Jesus Christ and what he has done in our lives. Otherwise, we will allow fear or complacency to stifle the call of God which we received in Baptism and Confirmation to be his witnesses to others. "But as for you, truly be vigilant, laboring in all things. Do the work of an Evangelist, fulfilling your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5)

"Let everything whatsoever  that you do, whether in word or in deed, be done all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (St Paul, Colossians 3:17) If we want to see the difference in Paul's life before and after his conversion, this statement gives us a glimpse. Before, he was zealot for the Law of God; afterwards, he was zealot for the Lord of Lords, Jesus. What would happen if we would make the above statement  our rule of life? It would change our language to one of love. It would impact our actions and our relationships. Making Jesus the center of our lives will bring order, peace and joy into our hearts. There will be many challenges because of the Law  of sin within us doesn't want to yield control of our life to anyone. Yet, the more Jesus is the reason we choose to act, the less hold sin will have over us.

"Have patience with all things--but  first with yourself.  Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are a perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that." (St. Francis de Sales) Impatience never changes anything except  our level of stress and the rising of our blood pressure. It doesn't draw us closer to God or make us a better person. On the contrary, patience has a different effect on us. We can deal with adverse situations better; we can better see what we need to do to change our own behavior patterns and actually make some changes. We can do this by learning how to accept ourselves as we are in the eyes of God and laugh at ourselves when we make a mistake. The less serious we take ourselves the more patient we may become.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
Matthew lists nine "beatitudes"; Luke only includes four. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Luke says: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours" What is the difference between the two statements? The "poor in spirit" includes anyone who totally depend upon the Lord for their sustenance, whether they have or do not have. Luke seems to focus on the materially disposed. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Luke states: "Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh." What is the difference between the two statements?
The mourning Matthew is referring to is not physical sadness but sadness over the effects of sin in one’s life and in the world. They are blessed because such mourning leads to repentance and return to the Lord.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Jesus said that he was meek and humble of heart and that we are to learn to imitate him. Meekness is not weakness but an attitude of humility instead of pride or self-righteousness. Meekness sees oneself as one is before God.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Luke states: "Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied." Luke talks about a physical hunger, while Matthew, a spiritual hunger for God’s will. "Righteousness" is another word for the will of God.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Another way of saying this is—the measure by which you measure to others will be the measure that will be used by which you will be measured or treated.
If we wish God to be merciful to us, then we need to be merciful to others.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Another way of saying this is "pure of heart" or "single hearted." To be clean of heart is have God as one’s focus and to choose to remain at one with God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

These are the ones who seek to reconcile people, who seek unity rather than division among people. It is not peace at all cost. But it is the willingness to pay the cost of lasting peace, which includes forgives and healing.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We can be persecuted for a variety of reasons. Here the reason for the blessedness is that the person is persecuted because they are following the will of God. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Luke states: "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man."
The reason for the persecution in both statements is their relationship with and commitment to Jesus.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

Make personal each beatitude and see how many reflect your life.                    What response do you want to make as a result of your reflections?

"Often we want to be somewhere other than where we are, or even to be someone other than who we are. We tend to compare ourselves constantly with others and wonder why we are not as rich, as intelligent, as simple, as generous, or as saintly as they are. Such comparisons make us feel guilty, ashamed, or jealous. It is very important to realize that our vocation is hidden in where we are and who we are. We are unique human beings, each with a call to realize in life what nobody else can, and to realize it in the concrete context of the here and now. We will never find our vocations by trying to figure out whether we are better or worse than others. We are good enough to do what we are called to do. Be yourself!" (Henri Nouwen) Sounds simple, but for many people it is hard to do. Otherwise, how do we explain the world's compulsion to not accept the reality of our existence here and now but to strive for the more, thinking falsely that the more will make us better.  We fail to remember a saying of St. Francis of Assisi: "You are who you are in the eyes of God and nothing more." Yes, we have limitations and imperfections which we try to improve on. But we do this in order to reach our potential, not because we don't like ourselves, not to compare ourselves with others. Be fully who you are in Christ and forget what the world thinks of you. Choose to improve because of Christ and not in comparison with others.

What is the hope that we are called as Christians to embrace? Pope Francis says this about hope. "Christian hope is not optimism, it is not the ability to look at the bright side of things and move forward, nor is it merely a positive attitude. This is all good, but it is not hope. Hope is a risky virtue; as St. Paul says, it is a virtue of eager longing for the revelation of the Son of God....Hope means striving toward this revelation, toward this joy that will fill our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy." Our hope is to live forever in the presence of God. While we hope for this revelation to be fulfilled, we are urged by the author of the Letter to the Hebrew to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Pope Francis said: "If we don't keep our eyes fixed on Jesus it is difficult for us to have hope. We can perhaps be optimistic, be positive, but this is not hope." Jesus is our hope, the source of our hope, the end of our hope.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is "an encounter, an encounter with the good God who always forgives, who forgives all, who knows how to celebrate when He forgives, and who forgets your sins when He forgives you." (Pope Francis)  Even though we are repetitive sinners, God does not want us to remain in sin. He offers us the grace to repent and be reconciled. He reminds us that there is no sin he will not forgive when we are repentant. He not only forgives but truly and totally forgets our sins. This is hard for us to grasp, Yet it is the nature of God. As he does, we are to remember his mercies and not our sins. Not only does he forgives beyond measure, not only does he forgets totally,  he celebrates our restored friendship with him by pouring his love upon us lavishly. This is the God we encounter each time we experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation, not the God of judgment, but the God of reconciling, healing, freeing love.

"Pray for the grace to desire to follow God's will, then pray for the grace to know God's will and, once you know it, pray for the grace to go forth with God's will." (Pope Francis) This was the way of life that Jesus modeled for us. He came to do the Father's will in obedience and out of filial love, even to the death on the cross. In his humanity, the will of the Father was constantly being discerned by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. He did this primarily in dedicated times of prayer. It was not easy for Jesus. He underwent many temptations and trials in the process. However, his focus was the Father. "I have come to do the will of him who sent me." It is not easy for us either to know God's will or to act on his will. But what may seem impossible for and God. Like Jesus, we must come to that prayer of surrender, "not my will, but yours be done."

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. Jesus had gone down to the Jordan in Judea where John was baptizing. Now, he returns to Galilee to begin his own ministry. It was safer for Jesus to minister in Galilee rather than Judea.
John’s official ministry ends and Jesus’ begins. John had already realized this when he said: "I must decrease and he must increase."
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.
One of the characteristics of Matthew’s Gospel is to show that Jesus fulfills the prophetic word of the Old Testament.
Zebulun was the 10^th son of Jacob and Naphtali was the 6^th son. The area of Galilee was the portion of the Promised Land given to these two tribes.
Isaiah was prophesying about the coming of the future Messiah as a light to a land of darkness.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

John the Baptist proclaims a message of repentance in anticipation of the immediate coming of the Messiah. Jesus preaches a message of repentance in order to enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
In Matthew’s Gospel this is the first encounter between Jesus and the future disciples. In John’s Gospel, Jesus has already evangelized Andrew and has encountered Simon. It must not have been a life-changing experience because he goes back fishing.

He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

What was different with this encounter? Jesus gave them an invitation to become his disciples and to join him in the work of evangelization.
Matthew said they immediately left all and followed Jesus. Another Gospel indicates that it was more dramatic than that. It was after the marvelous catch of fish that convinced them to follow Jesus.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus has called us to be his disciples. How quickly and totally have we responded?

He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

The ministry of Jesus was simple and straightforward. He taught wherever he could, he preached the message of truth and he healed as a sign of the full salvation to come.
                   Having reflected on this passage what application do we make in our lives?

"When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert he was beset by accidie, and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God, 'Lord, I wand to be saved but these thoughts do not leave me alone; what shall I do in my affliction? How can I be saved?' A short while afterwards, when he got up to go out, Anthony saw a man like himself sitting at his work, getting up from his work to pray, then sitting down again and plaiting a rope, then getting up again to pray. It was an angel of the Lord sent to correct and reassure him. He heard the angel saying to him, 'Do this and you will be saved.' At these words, Anthony was filled with joy and courage. He did this, and he was saved."  What did St. Anthony learn from this? He learned that a life of busyness without prayer does not prepare us for eternity. But a life that takes time to pray in the midst of work keeps before us the reason why we work and pray. The time of prayer does not have to be long, only attentive and sincere from the heart. It takes a few seconds to invoke the holy name of Jesus and to praise God for his blessings of the moment. Those few seconds generously spread through the day will help to sanctify the work we do and see it in reference to eternity.

"Our minds are always active. We analyze, reflect, daydream, or dream. There is not a moment during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say our thinking is "unceasing." Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that would save us from many worries, guilt feelings, and fears. Our ability to think is our greatest gift, but it is also the source of our greatest pain. Do we have to become victims of our unceasing thoughts? No, we can convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer by making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue with our God, who is the source of all love. Let's break out of our isolation and realize that Someone who dwells in the center of our beings wants to listen with love to all that occupies and preoccupies our minds." (Henri Nouwen) St. Paul calls us to pray unceasingly. We feel this is impossible. Not so. It is a matter of discipline and practice. Following the reflection above, we have much to share with God throughout our day. Why run around the track of our mind alone? Why not share our thoughts with God? He wants us to want  him to be an intimate part of our life. Since we belong to the Lord, hold nothing back from the Lord and he will show you  his great love.

Someone has said: "There  is no saint without a past nor a sinner without a future." All of us are sinners. We are not proud of it. Yet what we boast of is God's continuous mercy, forgiveness and forgetfulness. He transforms us from a past of sin to a present life of sanctity. God does not leave us to our past, but gives us the hope of a future in oneness with him. If we are living in God's grace in the present moment, we are saints. Further, if we persevere and die in his grace, we will be saints forever. What a mystery! My past of sin does not define me, but my present life in Christ does and will. Thank you, Lord!

                                                     JANUARY MASS FOR WOMEN
                                                     SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2017
                                                     8:00 AM
                                                     107 ALBANY DR.
                                                     HOUMA, LA.
                                                     INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN YOU!

"Choices make the difference. Two people are in the same accident and severely wounded. They did not choose to be in the accident. It happened to them. But one of them chose to live the experience in bitterness, the other in gratitude. These choices radically influenced their lives and the lives of their families and friends. We have very little control over what happens in our lives, but we have a lot of control over how we integrate and remember what happens. It is precisely these spiritual choices that determine whether we live our lives with dignity." (Henri Nouwen) Many times we can't avoid the things that happen in our daily lives. But how we respond is under our control. We can respond from the core of our fallen nature, which St. Paul calls the Law of sin or we can respond form the core of our redeemed nature, which he identifies as the Law of the Spirit. The former leads us into the darkness of sin; the latter brings us into the light and life of grace. Those are our real choices. When we fall into a pit of snakes, we can spend our time fighting the snakes or figuring a way to get out of the pit. Exercise the right choice that gives real control if we want to really live a fuller life.

"A Christian is a man, or a woman, of joy: a man and a woman with joy in their heart. There  is no Christian without joy!...The Christian identity card is joy, the Gospel's joy, the joy of having been chosen by Jesus, saved by Jesus, regenerated by Jesus; the joy of that hope that Jesus is waiting for us, the joy that--even with the crosses and sufferings we bear in this life--is expressed in another way, which is peace in the certainty that Jesus accompanies us, is with us....The Christian grows in joy through trusting in God. God always remembers his covenant. The Christian knows that God remembers him, that God loves him, that God accompanies him that God is waiting for him. And this is joy." (Pope Francis) Is that joy real and evident in our lives? Or we a witness of joy to others? Do we know the joy of the Lord? With St. Paul, let us learn to rejoice in the Lord always.

"The soul of one who loves God always swims in joy, always keeps holiday, and is always in the mood for singing." (John of the Cross)
Too often we let the troubles of life take away the joy of the Lord within us. This is not a superficial joy, but an inner awareness of the presence of the Lord in me at all times. This joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and comes from the conviction that in all things Jesus is the Lord of all things in my life. How can I not be joyful if I am in love with God who is with me at all times and in all circumstances.

"Today, let us do honor to Christ's baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the trinity, as now you received--though not in the fullness--a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen." (St. Gregory of Nazianzus) As we celebrate his baptism, let us be conscious of our baptism and renew our baptismal promises. At his baptism, Jesus was confirmed as the beloved Son and Messiah, kissed by the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit. At our baptism, we were redeemed by the Son, adopted by the Father, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. As baptized, we give thanks to God for his graciousness.

"Joy and sorrow are never separated. When our hearts rejoice at a spectacular view, we may miss our friends who cannot see it, and when we are overwhelmed with grief, we may discover what true friendship is all about. Joy is hidden in sorrow and sorrow in joy. If we try to avoid sorrow at all costs, we may never taste joy, and if we are suspicious of ecstasy, agony can never reach us either. Joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth." (Henri Nouwen) These companions are given to us by God. In his own life Jesus knew and embraced both. He knew the joy of the wedding at Cana and he wept at the death of Lazarus. He celebrated the success of the seventy two disciples after their first mission. He wept over his rejection by the religious leaders. He told the apostles that they would experienced great anguish at his crucifixion but that his resurrection would bring them greater joy. We do not have to seek either, they will find us. Within each is a grace given by God for our holiness.

                                                      MEN'S MONTHLY MASS
                                                                  SATURDAY
                                                             JANUARY 7, 2017
                                                                       7:30AM
                                                       BISHOP JACOBS' HOUSE
                                                             107 ALBANY DR.
                                                         HOUMA, LOUISIANA
                                                           BRING A FRIEND!

“Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”  (St. John Neumann) Am I fulfilling my mission? When I face God in eternity, will he say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter  into the kingdom prepared for you by my Father"? Or will he say, "Depart from me, for I do not know you"? What are our priorities? It is important for our eternal salvation that we do not forget why we have been created, given a mission, blest in so many ways. We belong to the Lord. We are his servants. We should be longing to see his face.

"And what was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will." (St Elizabeth Ann Seton) What sounds so simple is truly not, as we know. First, it is not always easy to know God's will for us in a given situation. Secondly, sometimes we prefer to do it our way. Thirdly, even if we know that this is the will of God for us, there is an inner law of sin within us that rebels against it. To embrace the will of God without question is the road of holiness. It is this submission we say in the Our Father: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." There are no conditions, but a total and free yes to God's will. Lord, help me to fully embrace your will today.

"God has also exalted him and has given him a name which is above every name, so that, at the name of Jesus, every knee would bend, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those in hell, and so that every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11) There is power in the name of Jesus. In his name we are healed; we are saved. Jesus himself taught that whatever we ask the Father in his name will be granted us. That is why in the Mass we conclude the opening prayer, the prayer of offering and the final prayer, "through Jesus Christ, our Lord." In time of temptation, we call on his name to defend, protect and deliver us. The Jesus Prayer has been a help for many over the years. "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner." How blessed are we to profess the name of Jesus!

"I have learned from Jesus Christ Himself what charity is, and how we ought to practice it; for He says: 'By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' Never can I, therefore please myself in the hope that I may obtain the name of a servant of Christ if I possess not a true and unfeigned charity within me." (St. Basil) As we begin this new year of grace and make new resolutions, may I suggest the most transforming one of all: love. It is the greatest of all spiritual gifts, according to St. Paul. Love is the distinguishing mark of his disciple, according to Jesus. So important that our entrance exam into heaven will be based on this one question: how, when, where, why and to whom did you show love? God  is love and his adopted children are to reflect him in their lives by love. If we try to outdo others in anything, it should be in only this.