October is upon us and it’s incredibly hard to believe we are coming quickly to the end of 2021. Honestly, I don’t think this year has taken a breath. It has been a year of perseverance, and one that has challenged 2020 as a year we would most likely want to forget. There is a les-son from that perseverance that I am afraid will be lost on folks, and they will not be able to see all they have overcome. I also fear that people will not be able to un-derstand that it was the Almighty Father that was giving them the strength that they needed the whole time.

In times like these I look to the children to give me hope in Christ. It is there that you see that loving innocence that makes you know everything will be ok. It is in the eyes of the young we can see the hope of a new tomor-row, because the Holy Spirit burns brightly in those young hearts! We need to do better! We need to live in faith, because it will be the only way we survive these trying times. It may not kill us of course, but our spirit will be damaged. We have to continue to fight and not lose sight of what is important, and that is Christ’s love for each and every single one of us!

This weekend’s Gospel talks about Jesus challenging a wealthy man to sell his possessions to gain Heaven. The wealthy man walks away upset, because he loves his possessions. He put his “things” above people, and worse, God. Why is that so many put profit over people? Why is it so easy for people to love possessions over their brothers and sisters? The obvious answer is that God does not live in their hearts, and therefore they are trying to fill a bottomless pit to try and be happy. The more they buy, and the more they possess, they still can’t escape their depression. The only cure to this is to fill one’s heart with God. What does God bring with Him when He fills someone’s heart? God brings love, hope, mercy, and forgiveness! These gifts are so abundant that it immediately changes the way a person feels about their own life, and therefore it makes them value all life!

Let us open our hearts and allow God to enter! Once He does, everything around us changes for the better! I hope you all have a God filled week!