We are called to shine in this world as disciples of Jesus. How can we listen to Jesus so that his light shines through us?
- Listen to Jesus in silence
- Listen to Jesus through reading daily Scripture
- Listen to Jesus in the Sacraments
- Listen to Jesus in the words of those who follow Jesus.

Faith must be nurtured with the Word of God. If we approach God with trust and confidence and do His will, we welcome the call of God into our lives every day and live the life of God. May we allow ourselves to be touched by God who wants to love and care for us no matter who we are or what we may have done. The Word of God is like a road sign letting us know where we are going and helping us to understand our mission in life.

What does God tell us?
- We are the beloved children of a loving God – we have done nothing to earn this or 
        deserve it.
-Jesus teaches us time and again about love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self.
-Jesus offers us forgiveness which He wants us to give to others.
-Jesus professes the power of boundless compassion. If we want to live in a world 
        where God lives, we must live in compassion for others. We should listen to the
        challenge to care for the poor and the needy and not be quick to judge.

We live in a world that cries out for healing – from confusion, anxiety, depression, anger, etc. We want to create an ideal world where everyone could be happy. Horrible things happen every day – but to create change in our world we have to start with ourselves. We need to hear the word of God and not live isolated from Christ. We can get faith from our prayer communities. The examples of others can be the best examples of faith for us. We need to focus on Jesus’s call to do all things well, especially by expressing kindness to others and trying to draw others into the human family by our love of Jesus.

Don’t limit God because of our own personal resources and limitations. Faith in God is crucial. Some people think they have wasted their lives – they fail to define meaning in their lives and fail to value what they have done. God‘s gracious hand is always with us – if we accept it. Be willing to receive His graces each day even if we don’t feel like it. When we have an attitude with God as our partner, we can accomplish extraordinary things in our life.

Biblical wisdom is practical – helping people live moral and productive lives. The Book of Proverbs is full of suggestions. Wisdom is based on experience and reflection. The testing of our faith produces endurance and growth. Moral and spiritual growth is not easy and involves time and testing. Confronting moral tests helps us become stronger in our conviction. The lives of many saints involved temptations to test their faith. At times God seems to disappear from our lives - gradually, or suddenly, leaving us to feel abandoned. Endurance and commitment are keys to a mature moral and spiritual life. Suffering can produce endurance, character and hope. Wisdom is a gift from God. Endurance means not giving up - holding on to God‘s presence in our lives.

When you look at yourself in a mirror, do you like what you see? Look deeper - and think of what God sees in you. Be kind to yourself and pray to be the best you can be - a faithful servant of God. Be an image of Christ. Give thanks to God for gifting you with your time on earth, make your moments count, and be open to God‘s graces and love.

The comic strip character Charlie Brown says “The most important achievement in my life is to know when to keep my mouth shut.“ Practice self-discipline and allow the Lord to make us better. Eliminate gossip, bad language, negative talking about others. Let go of our anger and animosities. When we are at peace with one another, then we can experience true peace with God.

How do we bring value to our relationships? How do we bring out the best in each other? St. Paul said love means that we do not keep a record of wrongs. It is easy to see the worst in people. God is the essence of love – He is love itself. If God had kept a record of our wrongs would He have sent us His best – Jesus Christ? The greatest power we have is when we trust God who has our back. Many people compile a mental list of hurts they suffered from others. This is not a healthy thing to do and it does frustrate us. We each have the ability to clean our slates every day and keep no record of wrongs. We serve a perfect God whose Spirit is in us and who wants us to develop the gifts He has given us. We can live our lives from a place of love - love those who have hurt us and forgive others as God has forgiven us. Life is too short to be out-of-balance with people in our life.