Be Christ-like

    

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

19 February 2023

 

First Reading: Lv 19:1-2, 17-18

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13

Second Reading: 1 Cor 3:16-23

Gospel: Mt 5:38-48

 

Reflection

By: Benj Santiago

 

"You shalll love your neighbor as yourself." "Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness." "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

I have a confession to make, it is very easy for me to love those who are loveable. But I hate and despise those who oppose me and reject my ideas. I find it difficult to love and be merciful to my enemies.

I am sure some of us also find it difficult to love our enemies. I struggled and tried to be merciful and gracious, to be slow to anger and abound in kindness. I fail on this most of the time. And in today's Gospel we are all being reminded "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. We are all called to be "Christ-like." He has forgiven those who mocked, persecuted, and crucified Him!

It's a tough challenge for me even to this date. As far as I can recall my childhood days, I has bouts of anger and hate to myself and other people for the mistakes and wrongdoings I see and have done. But I am consoled by the fact that I no longer or very seldom I act when I am angry. We are all blessed to have a God who is merciful and gracious who is "slow to anger and abounding in kindness."

I am continuously praying to develop a loving heart. We are all called to develop a forgiving and loving heart capable of loving others who may even have offended us so "that you may be children of your heavenly Father."

Prayer

Heavenly Father teaches us Your ways. Enable us to be abounding in forgiveness and mercy to others especially those who have wronged us. Give us a heart that we may be able to claim that indeed we are Your children. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

Sacred Space

3rd Sunday of Lent  04 March 2018

First reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work – you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.    Second reading:  1 Corinthians 22-25 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Gospel: John 2:13-25 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six Years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.

Reflection
by Theresa Ballo

I remember when I attended a seminar entitled Finding Your One True Love, the speaker mentioned that one important aspect of getting to know a potential boyfriend is to see him really angry. In this you will get to validate the authenticity of the kindness he shows you in the dating process. I have also seen a lot of calm and kind people transforming into “Incredible Hulk”, people who suddenly “got lost” and lashed out to emphasize a point and make other people agree or make amends to him/her. More so, I have been hurt by my 3 year old niece when she got really mad and accused me of being a terrible person just because I didn’t allow her to play outside at noon time. I think being angry is my least used emotions among others that could also be the reason why it is also a challenge for me to deal with angry people. 

I would be very anxious as I imagine myself being in the temple looking at Jesus so infuriated, turning tables of money, making a whip from ropes and driving animals out of the temple.  The problem was that greed, dishonesty, and extortion have taken over the temple. The merchants overlooked the sacred nature of the temple and have lost sight of the true purpose of sacrifices. Undoubtedly, Jesus was proclaiming that He was the Son of God, the Messiah. He had the authority and right to do what He did. The disciples saw that Jesus felt strongly about the house of God. He emphasized that a sacred place deserves to be treated with full reverence.  

Secondly, it was not wrong for the merchandisers to sell animals and doves. Nor was it wrong to change money. However, it was wrong to do it with greed and dishonesty. They make people believe that through the offering of the animals they can please God. We must be cautious about our motivation. We must put God first in all our motivation not for our own good and not for profit. 

Today may be a day to ask ourselves: What happens to me when I am angry? Do I get angry for the right reasons? What do I do when being mad subside? May we be like Jesus who out rightly asserted wrongdoings. May we take courage to go against abortion, extra-judicial killings and divorce. Moreover, what and where are our sacred places? What are the places that are sacred to us? Where do you commune with God in prayer? It might be your local parish church, a forest, the mountains, the beach or simply a swing in your backyard or a special bench in your house. We all need sacred places in our lives. Places where our only motivation is to experience and open ourselves to God’s presence in beauty, in silence, in peace – be that in nature, that small quiet corner in your house or in church. These sacred places and spaces help to ground us in God. Thus, we may experience God’s presence in that place more intensely and more concretely. That sacred place as well as sacred activity (such as simply sitting quietly in a chair, gazing in nature, etc.) also may help us open ourselves more intimate to God’s presence, word and grace. 


This third Sunday of Lent I am inviting you to deliberately sit quietly with God for 5, 10, or 30 minutes. We may receive many gifts and serenity as we quietly and peacefully simply sit with God. He longs for us and God is waiting for us. 

Prayer

Father, thank You for an example of Jesus' moral outrage and cleansing of the temple. Help us to stand strong against wrong acts. May You cleanse the temples of our hearts, no matter how much we might be offended and upset, so that our hearts might be holy places that welcome You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Angry for the Right Reasons

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:“I, the LORD, am your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves  in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;

you shall not bow down before them or worship them.

For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land

which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,

nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,

nor anything else that belongs to him.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 11

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Brothers and sisters:

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me.

At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?”Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

Reflection
By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

“Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

Boy was He furious! Jesus was so caught up in anger to even make a whip out of the cords. And He drove them all out of the temple, sheep and all.

The American Psychological Association defines anger as –

“emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong. Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings, for example, or motivate you to find solutions to problems. But excessive anger can cause problems. Increased blood pressure and other physical changes associated with anger make it difficult to think straight and harm your physical and mental health.”

This Gospel clearly depicts the human nature of Jesus. He too is capable of being angry. But He was angry for the right reasons. These days, we take so much self-entitlement that we feel we deserve to be angry every time we’re disappointed. We waste our energy over trivial matters, and I for one am guilty about it. With patience unchecked, and superiority filled to the brim, we fume at people and things that impede our routine.

Yes He was fuming in all places, but His emotions did not go in vain. His purpose is to defend the house of prayer from materialism and the self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees. And I believe that by 'temple', the Scripture is also referring to our bodies, our person, our own selves. Jesus wants us to rid ourselves of useless materialism. He wants us to refocus on our life’s purpose. Yes Jesus is saying, “Away with life’s excesses – over-accumulation of money, overworking, self-gloating, eating and drinking, partying, too much social media and digital preoccupations!” I think Jesus is inviting us to be angry at these negativities for they will do nothing but distract us from what we should be centering on – the kingdom of God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, there is anger in my heart and I cannot root it out. I know that I should calm down and offer the hurt and disappointment to You but my emotion is running away with me. Help me to overcome this weakness and give me peace of heart as well as mind. Let me learn from this experience and grow into a better human being. Amen.
(source: www.catholic.org/prayers)

Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what You want me to be – and becoming that person.
(St. Thérèse of Lisieux — of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church)

Live Good

 

“ Repent, and believe in the gospel ”

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-15

God said to Noah and to his sons with him:  “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you  and your descendants after you  and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals  that were with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you,  that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood;  there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”

God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you:  I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth,  and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings,  so that the waters shall never again become a flood  to destroy all mortal beings.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

Beloved:

Christ suffered for sins once,  the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh,  he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.

It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Reflection
By Grace B. Madriñan

I fear this would happen.  Barely a week after the bliss we experienced from Pope Francis’ visit last January 17 to 19, we were bombarded by the bad news left and right as if trying to snatch us back to the negative pit we used to be in. The evil one has been working double time to erase every hope; every faith restored and reclaim the souls he has lost during the Pope’s visit. 

And who would not be crushed by the death of 44 SAFs (Special Action Force members of the Philippine National Police)? I could not even look at the face of the fallen heroes, all the more look at the families left behind. If it pains me this much, how much more for the people who knew them -- for the sons and daughters who looked up to them, for the wives who have loved them, for the mothers who have nursed them in their arms?

For a moment, it seemed fitting to be angry, to curse and to point fingers. If I were in their shoes, I could have burned bridges with my wrath. I could have summoned all the forces of nature to strike lightning to where the enemies are.  But that would not change anything. Much worse, I would be giving the evil one a fair chance to win.

Jesus is no different from us.  Jesus wept (John 11:35), He also felt anger when He “entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying (Matthew 21:12)” and even tempted by the demon in the desert (Matthew 4:1). He could have given in and chosen the easy, painless route. But Jesus demonstrated how to live good in this world without avoiding the bad, and rise above the temptations.

Prayer

Father, in this world where injustice seems to dominate the media, there is a greater temptation to be angry and on the finger-pointing mode.  Please teach us to judge fairly and not to be hasty with our actions. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.  

Anger Management 101

First Sunday of Lent13 March 2011
Come, today, and listen to his voice: do not harden your hearts.

First reading Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7
The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.
The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.” ‘ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 50:3-6,12-14,17

Second reading Romans 5:12-19
Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.
Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Gospel Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:
Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
He will put you in his angels’ charge,
and they will support you on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:
You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:
You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’
Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

Reflection
By Pam Manzano

I worked in several call centers here in the Philippines while I am on LOA in college. As we all know, working as an agent in BPO companies require extensive trainings not just in product knowledge but in working social and emotional skills as well. Of all the fancy trainings and sessions I have attended, one that really caught my attention was the one given by our HR manager in the last call center I have worked with.

Anger is an easy escape in an agent’s life. Calls easily come and go but the stress and intolerance in each of the calls are escalating. At the end of the day, an agent is affected, in one way or another, if he does not know how to manage stress and let go of each calls as easily as they have to.

The talk given to us is entitled Anger Management 101. We, the agents, were given scenarios and asked to respond to each one as we would if it is an actual call. As I have said above, anger is inevitable especially if the caller is irate and is hitting us below the belt, or so we thought. We responded in a way that a normal person would respond if ridiculed or “mis-calculated”. We were not surprised of how we reacted because for us, it is just normal. What we were actually looking forward to was how the HR manager himself would react and give feedbacks regarding our answers.

“Do you want to know what is an easy way to manage your anger and live a life full of happiness?”, the manager asked. Of course we all do! What surprises us is his answer: “Then just don’t get angry”. He said it will make all the difference; and he got us right there.

Jesus was tested and tempted three times in the Gospel and never once did He succumb to any of those three. Power, pride, and glory wer offered to Him by the devil but Jesus stood firm in His faith in the Father and fixed His eyes on the mission He has been given. In the end, the devil lost the battle and flew away from Jesus. The Jesus we saw in the Gospel was totally human, with His hunger and fatigue, He can be easily tempted by the devil but showed that He could resist sin and eventually triumph over death.

When things go the way we do not want it to, just don’t get angry. When we are tempted to do things we know is not right, just don’t give in. We have been given the law, we should live with it. We have the power to resist temptation and worldly desires and we have the right to exercise that power.

Putting an end to this week’s God-speak article, a challenge was given to us by the Gospel: Will you resist temptation and live forever with God or will you not?

Father, as we enter the season of lent, let Your words and wisdom be our guide. Fix our eyes on You that we may not be blinded by this world’s riches, Amen.



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Anger

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time20 February 2011



Come, let us rejoice in the Lord: let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

First reading Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18
The Lord spoke to Moses; he said:
‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them:
‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.
‘“You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’

Psalm: Psalm 102:1-4,8,10,12-13

Second reading 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.
Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.

Gospel Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.
‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

We have this popular saying in Filipino, which says, “Ang pikon ay laging talo”, which means that those who are affected or easily angered always loses. I am very much aware of this. In my mind, I have conditioned myself not to fall easily on the trap of losing myself to anger. But there were lapses, and I failed the test. Almost a month ago, I was enraged by a counterpart who instead of helping out, fanned the problems further aflame by escalating and bringing up an issue that has long been resolved. What she did gave the impression to the management that our processes were inefficient and that our team is incompetent.

After calming myself down, I tried to look for some ‘lessons’ from what happened. It was a wake-up call, actually. First lesson is for me to try my best not to let anger get the best of me. Although I cannot expect myself not to feel any emotion, I have decided to rise from it as quickly as possible. Second, I will not let ‘friendship’ dictate how I work. The reason why I was hurt that bad was because I considered her as a friend, and that I trusted her. Next time, I will be more professional and objective at work. If I need to push my co-worker for more work to be done, I will. As for myself, I will do more work proactively, not leaving anything to chance.

At this time, I am back to my usual self. I can now talk and work with my said counterpart without any desire to bite her head off . I have forgiven her. I still consider her as a friend, though I keep myself on guard. Jesus is right when He said that it is more noble and braver to love your neighbor, even enemies. Who among us can easily offer a right hand to someone who ripped our left hand? Who among us can easily embrace an enemy after stabbing us in the back? Not everyone can do that. But only a true follower of Christ can. In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs us as His follower, to be patient instead of being intolerant, to be giving instead of tightfisted, to love instead of hate.

Father, sometimes it is very difficult to forgive, much more to love our neighbor. But with Christ as our model of love, who was able, not only to forgive, but also loved those who crucified Him – how can we fail Him? We lift our hearts to You to mold us and teach us that we may do the same. Amen.



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