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“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/jhn.15.5.NABRE

“All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, buy grain and eat; Come, buy grain without money, wine and milk without cost! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what does not satisfy? Only listen to me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Pay attention and come to me; listen, that you may have life. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the steadfast loyalty promised to David. As I made him a witness to peoples, a leader and commander of peoples, So shall you summon a nation you knew not, and a nation that knew you not shall run to you, Because of the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their way, and sinners their thoughts; Let them turn to the Lord to find mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Yet just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it. Yes, in joy you shall go forth, in peace you shall be brought home; Mountains and hills shall break out in song before you, all trees of the field shall clap their hands. In place of the thornbush, the cypress shall grow, instead of nettles, the myrtle. This shall be to the Lord’s renown, as an everlasting sign that shall not fail.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/isa.55.1-13.NABRE

“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.” Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day. Let us not test Christ as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. Warning Against Idolatry. Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Look at Israel according to the flesh; are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? So what am I saying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No, I mean that what they sacrifice, [they sacrifice] to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he? Seek the Good of Others. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds up. No one should seek his own advantage, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything sold in the market, without raising questions on grounds of conscience, for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.” If an unbeliever invites you and you want to go, eat whatever is placed before you, without raising questions on grounds of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This was offered in sacrifice,” do not eat it on account of the one who called attention to it and on account of conscience; I mean not your own conscience, but the other’s. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake thankfully, why am I reviled for that over which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Avoid giving offense, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭33‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/1co.10.1-33.NABRE

“Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit. God’s Love and Christian Life. Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭21‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/1jn.4.1-21.NABRE

God has created many beautiful things, but I believe His most beautiful creation was people and trees. It's amazing how trees resemble our bodies from the inside. God created vegetation first for our survival. We should not cut trees unnecessarily. We should not cover our grounds with cement because that is our survival. Not everything should come from the store but from the ground where God created vegetation. 11 Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened: 12 the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/gen.1.11-12.NABRE

“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭21‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/jhn.3.1-21.NABRE

Have you considered what you would do if God instructed you to "GO", would you listen? We often create comfort zones where everything is predictable and within our control. However, what if one day God asks you to change your job or begin praying the Rosary? Would you be willing to follow?  At times, life may feel confusing and illogical, yet it doesn't need to make sense; God understands the path forward. If we truly trust in God to direct us in life, allow Him to show you how to live your life. Our lives are never fully under our control; no matter how hard we try, we cannot predict what will happen next. For instance, we cannot foresee when we might fall ill or when our lives might be turned upside down. In a tournament or competition, we cannot be certain who will win; we might assume we will win, but ultimately, it's truly just a percentage of chance. While we might attempt to avoid every catastrophe statistically possible, we could instead choose to live our lives as God intended. God never promised a life without suffering, but He will be there every step of the way. Perhaps we are not meant to face it alone. We are intended to navigate our challenges together with God, and as a community.

“Then he also said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/luk.16.1-8.NABRE

“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and “he was found no more because God had taken him.” Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age—and Sarah herself was sterile—for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol. By faith regarding things still to come Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and “bowed in worship, leaning on the top of his staff.” By faith Joseph, near the end of his life, spoke of the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones. By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; he chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. He considered the reproach of the Anointed greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the recompense. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s fury, for he persevered as if seeing the one who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted it they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after being encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with the disobedient, for she had received the spies in peace. What more shall I say? I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders. Women received back their dead through resurrection. Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth. Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭40‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/heb.11.1-40.NABRE

We all grow up and pursue higher education; the experience has evolved significantly from the days of heavy books and binders filled with college paper. For some of us, we occasionally encountered liberal professors, perhaps once or twice a week. These professors would present liberal viewpoints in the classroom. After their lectures, we would gather our materials and proceed to our next class as part of a typical day. The day moves on like any ordinary day. I am skeptical that encountering a professor for a few hours each week could solely account for the societal changes we observe today. I do not believe it is sufficient to input that much evil we see today. But the combined effect of a liberal professor and a phone could change anybody's thinking process. That shows us the phones are very powerful resources handed out to young minds. It could be used for good or evil, depending on who is in charge of changing the game unit. It is important to do your research and find reliable resources. However, the combined influence of a liberal professor and the pervasive presence of a cell phone can significantly alter one's thought processes; eight hours per day could improve the professor's viewpoints and our way of comprehending information through cell phone repetition. We live in a world that no longer feels entirely secure. Prolonged exposure to digital devices for three straight days can lead to psychosis. Our young people are not the enemies but the victims; they were given a car to drive without the necessary training or driver's license. Determining what is right, true, or morally sound becomes challenging when our opinions are shaped by the powerful influence of digital devices. Information is abundant and originates from diverse sources. It is imperative to educate our children on discerning between good and evil, especially in the context of phones where truth can be easily distorted. Understanding the source, background, and credibility of the information we consume is essential in navigating the complexities of this new digital age.

Dear friends, I was deeply moved by the image of the Virgin Mary shared on Truth Social. Her devotion and unwavering maternal love serve as a powerful example for us all, reminding us of the profound importance of nurturing and cherishing our children. The story of Mary, Jesus, and their place within the divine plan resonates with the universal yearning for hope, redemption, and a better future. It speaks to the enduring power of faith and the transformative potential of love. Reflecting on this image, I'm reminded of the responsibility we all share in building a more compassionate and loving world – a world where every child feels cherished, protected, and empowered to reach their full potential. This responsibility extends beyond our immediate families to encompass our communities and our nation. Let us strive to cultivate the same love and compassion that Mary embodies, working together to create a brighter future for all.

Evil is the creator of poverty. If we neglect to assist the most vulnerable and ill among us, it raises the question: why prioritize international aid when local needs remain unmet? If we fail to support those nearby, they may be driven to accept assistance from questionable sources, at a cost. We failed them by preventing direct support to our community. While financial aid is necessary for the less fortunate, it’s crucial to consider its sufficiency and impact. The true essence of support lies in the act of kindness to the ones around us, the ones who really need us. And pray the rosary that other countries could do the same. Helping others is not a GoFundMe page; it’s bringing a casserole dish when someone is feeling down. It's paying their rent for the month they were in the hospital. It’s mowing their lawn when your neighbor has a broken leg. It’s listening when someone needs to vent. Most importantly, it is giving the simple act of kindness, a sign of expression stating, you are not alone. If we do not help each other, then evil will win, and that’s how we become the opposite of a free country. Therefore, commit to one act of kindness daily, as it can create a positive ripple effect.