16 September, commemoration

Position: Pope and Bishop, Martyrs

Patron: Cornelius: peasants; invoked for convulsions, nervous diseases, and villains; Cyprian: invoked against the plague

Attributes: Cornelia: tiara, horn; Cyprian: book, sword, palm tree

BIOGRAPHY

Cornelius was elected Pope only when the imperial ban on the election of a Roman bishop began to weaken. The opponents then elected antipopes, and the issue of accepting apostates back into the Church became an extraordinary problem. Emperor Gallus renewed the decree to sacrifice to idols, and Pope Cornelius testified his faithfulness to Christ by martyrdom.

Originating from Carthage in the northern part of Africa, Cyprian had a speaking education and knowledge of law. He became a Christian only after being more than 30 years old. He began to study the Scriptures of St. and follow them faithfully. He became a priest and bishop of Carthage. Here, he addressed the issue of accepting apostates, which he wrote about to Bishop Cornelius, and subsequently experienced double persecution. He lost his life the second time.

BIOGRAPHY FOR MEDITATION

“THERE IS NO SALVATION OUTSIDE THE CHURCH”

This is the famous statement of Cyprian of Carthage, who was born around 205 in modern-day Tunisia. He was raised in a pagan family belonging to the local aristocracy and, thanks to his talent, quickly mastered public speaking and law. As a pagan advocate, he led, in his own words, ‘a long ungodly and vile life’. Then he became friends with Cecil, who was a priest (perhaps they had known each other since their youth). Their conversations led Cyprian to convert to the faith, which he embraced with great sincerity. He studied the Scriptures and gave his fortune to the poor. He was baptised and began his journey towards the priesthood. Soon after his ordination, he also received episcopal ordination and was put in charge of a part of Africa.

An edict was soon issued by Emperor Decius ordering all inhabitants of the Roman Empire to sacrifice to pagan gods, with severe punishments for those who would not obey, which concerned Christians.

Those, especially their representatives, were primarily targeted by the persecution. Cyprian then thought it prudent to direct his church out of seclusion by letters. At that time, he was also writing his most important work, “On the Unity of the Church.”

It was only after the emperor had been occupied with warfare against the Goths that he could fully resume his position. Among the first issues he had to deal with were the apostates, or ‘lapsi’. He proceeded gently, recognising the large number of apostates in Carthage itself. After the initial order to sacrifice to idols, many obtained certificates in various ways so that they could sacrifice to the gods and ensure peace. Some bought them without sacrificing. All the weak and those who had been severely embezzled suddenly wanted to return to the Church. However, the original practice was that the Church punished apostasy with lifelong repentance..

Some of Cyprian’s followers who had passed through prison became filled with pride and haughtiness. They even began ordering the bishops around. Led by five priests, Cyprian’s enemies demanded that he accept everyone back without distinction, regardless of the severity of their guilt. According to them, a note bearing the words ‘Let him be accepted into the church!’ was sufficient for someone to be readmitted after intercession by a martyr. The imperative method raised doubts, however, and Cyprian disagreed with such a practice. He wanted to wait for the Church’s decision.

The Church of Rome was without a bishop for about 14 months after the death of Pope Fabian, because the secular government strictly prohibited the election of a pope. While Cyprian was in seclusion in Africa, a priestly congregation led by Novatian took over the leadership of the church in Rome. He impressed his friends with his education and eloquence, but some Christians saw his unreliability and other flaws.

With the cruel persecution subsiding, the election of the Pope was being prepared, and from Carthage, Cyprian’s enemies, led by the priest Novation, set out for Rome to influence the election of the Bishop of Rome, held in mid-March. They failed; the priest Cornelius, who was the son of the Roman Castings, was elected. The defeated party rebelled and eventually elected Novatian as antipope as its bishop.

Before addressing the issue of the return of the renegades, Cornelius reached a resolution at the episcopal assembly of Carthage, which Cyprian governed. This stated that all apostates who repent sincerely may be admitted to the sacrament of repentance and reconciled with the Church, at least at the hour of death. The severity of the punishment was to be proportionate to the offense committed. Cornelius agreed with these views and convened a council of Italian bishops for final approval; 60 bishops appeared. The decision was upheld.

The greatest message of the Bible is a message to man about God who forgives, about God who loves even man who sins, about God who knows about human weakness. God wants man to acknowledge and confess his sin and to repent of it. At the heart of today’s readings is the belief that Christ came to save sinners.

Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and today is the Feast of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows. “Stabat Mater Dolorosa” – We meditate on the Sorrowful Mother, on her suffering. It was under the cross that the Mother of God became the Mother of the new generation of humanity, redeemed by the most precious blood of Her Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Virgin Mary is the most blessed, most extraordinary person to come out of the hands of the Creator. After all, she was chosen to become the Mother of His only-begotten Son. Let’s imagine how happy she must have been to raise the Savior of the world, even though it must have been a very challenging task. Throughout her life, Mary reflected on God’s actions, kept these thoughts, and took pleasure in seeing God’s plan realized through her. Maria recognized the deepest human pains anyway. Only a few days after Her Son was born, the prophet Simeon said, “I Sword “will penetrate Your own soul.

These words could certainly have discouraged Mary from accepting the task that God had set before her, or at least drained all enthusiasm for her calling from her. But it didn’t happen. On the contrary, Mary accepted them, thought about them, and continued to live by faith in God. Maria certainly suffered, but she was a woman of joy and hope. Her intimate relationship with God was a source of comfort and trust that was able to overcome every tragedy. We title Mary as Seven Sorrowful not because of what happened to her, but because of how she was able to unite her heart with God’s heart. She saw her Son enduring the hatred of some Israeli religious leaders. She saw his disciples leave Him when He needed them most. Furthermore, she saw Him imprisoned, trampled, and killed.

In all this, Mary perceived how deep the love for the rebellious people echoed in the Father’s heart. Her pains were those of Him who knows the pain in the world and longs to see all people return to Jesus to heal and save them. All readings of today’s Sunday testify to this fact. Saint Paul says, “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I am one of them, to begin with. But that is precisely why I came to mercy, so that Jesus Christ would show all his benevolence to me as the first; I was to be an example to those who believe in Him in the future, and so they reach eternal life “. Yes, God can transform a person’s heart. This truth strengthens our trust in God’s mercy.

No sinful hunter who has known his misery and truly desires conversion can always count on God’s compassion and forgiveness. Today’s parables, “o lost sheep “and “Lost Coin “are among the most beautiful places of the Gospel. A sinner is like a lost sheep and a coin. When a person finds a lost thing, he is happy. Such is the joy of God when the sinner returns to Him. That is why God also seeks the sinner, as a shepherd seeks a lost sheep and a woman seeks lost money. That is why Jesus associates with “lost “people to help them convert and thus save them. Dear brothers and setters, When Mary stood under the cross, her heart was truly pierced, not only by the suffering of Jesus, but also by the suffering of the whole world. Even now, when she prays with her Son in heaven, she is the Mother of all who suffer in any way. Even today, she is constantly crying over the horrors of the contemporary world. As Mary, let us raise our hearts and pray for all those who feel lost and hurt. 

Painful Mother of God is a loving and infinitely loved woman. That is why the Christian finds solace in her for his pains. When we suffer, then we have two options: either accept the cross with Mother Sorrowful and suffer with Christ, or curse our destiny. We are believers, that is why today we experience with Mary Her lot, Her pain, and when my lot, pain, and cross come, I want to accept it, because there is suffering in the cross, salvation is also eternal in the cross.

Students at one school discussed the emotional isolation experienced by some of their classmates during a meeting. They saw how unhappy and sometimes desperate they were. To help them, they agreed to sell small mirrors. On the other side, they printed words from the Gospel of St. John: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son…’ (John 3:16). They added a question to these words: ‘If you want to know who it was that God loved so much, look on the other side.’ Looking in the mirror, each person saw themselves and realized that they are not alone, that they are not abandoned, and that God cares about everyone, because he gave his Son for their salvation.

God so loved the world… These words, which the Lord spoke to Nicodemus on that memorable night, convey the immense love of God for humanity and the condemnation of those who reject God’s love and forfeit their salvation. ‘He came down from heaven for us and our salvation…’ (I believe). For all, for each one of us… However, we know that this immense love of God has set its own limits, namely, human freedom. Only then will we come to salvation if we want to be saved. We will find eternal life, eternal light, and truth only if we accept God’s gifts of light, truth, and grace through our own fault.

The month of September, apart from May and October, can also be considered the Marian month, because in it we celebrate three mysteries that concern the Mother of God. Today, we remember her name, which has the original Hebrew shape of Miriam. We cannot explain its exact meaning with certainty. According to some experts, it comes from the Hebrew word márar, or márah, which expresses bitterness and pain. Every mother knows that anger and pain are also associated with the joy of motherhood. How much more this must have been true of the one who became the mother of the Crucified One.

Guy Gilbert, a Parisian priest, recalls his childhood and relates that he loved his father but feared him. When his mother told him about his troubles after returning from work, immediate punishment followed, so he always tried to agree with his mother and interceded heartrendingly for himself. How many such requests did the mother hear before the father returned home? There were a total of fifteen children at home. A promise to her mother that she would get better was often enough, and she did not complain to her father. “I adore Mom very much, she is eighty, and I always see a fantastic look in their loving eyes, adds Guy Gilbert.

Well, we can understand the Virgin Mary by the way our mothers look at us. They certainly have difficult children who were abandoned by their mothers immediately after giving birth, or who were oppressed by their mothers. They were terribly guilty of it. When a man has a loving mother, he has received a great gift from heaven.

Saint Bernard, the great Marian worshiper of the Middle Ages, encourages us:

“Jif in this earthly life you are more tossed about in the midst of gales and storms, do not turn your eyes away from the light of this star. When a whirlwind of temptation blows you away, when you get between the pitfalls of tribulation, look at the star and call Mary. When waves of pride, ambition, gossip, jealousy toss you around, look at the star and call Mary. “

When anger or avarice, or the desire of the body, shakes the boat of your soul, look at Mary. When you are afraid of a strict judgment and you already want to be consumed by grief and overcome despair, think of Mary. In danger, anxieties and doubts, think of Mary, invoke Mary.

Let her name not be lost from your mouth, let it not disappear from your heart. And to gain the support of her intercession, do not forget the example of her life. Please her, and you will never be without hope. Think of her and you’ll never be wrong. You don’t know fear under her protection. And so you will experience on yourself, as the evangelist rightly says: “And the name of the Virgin was Maria. “

Christ on the cross took away the poison of the evil serpent and freed Christians from the vitriol …The cross is the gallows leading to death, and yet on this festive day, we celebrate the elevation of Christ’s cross. For on that wood Jesus took upon himself our sin and the evil of the world and defeated them with his love. That’s why we celebrate today. The word of God we have heard tells us about it and contrasts the poisonous snakes whose bite causes death and, on the other hand, the snake that saves. Let’s stop at these two paintings. Above all, there are snakes, attacking people who have fallen into the sin of grumbling for the umpteenth time with their bite. To grumble against God is not only to speak evil of him and to complain about him; it means that trust in him and in his promises has failed in the hearts of the Israelites. For God’s people, who walk through the desert towards the promised land, are overcome by fatigue and cannot endure the journey (see Num 21:4). People therefore lose their minds, lose hope, and at some point seem to forget the Lord’s promise: these people no longer have the strength to believe, that He is the one who leads their way to the rich and fertile land. It is not by chance that people whose trust in God has been exhausted are subject to snakebite. Deadly snakes resemble the first snake mentioned in the Bible in the book of Genesis, a tempter who poisoned the human heart to make him doubt God. In fact, it is in the form of a snake that the devil mistrusts Adam and Eve by convincing them that God is not good, but rather envies their freedom and happiness. And now, in the desert, snakes return, “poisonous snakes “(v. 6); that is, original sin returns. The Israelites doubt God, distrust him, grumble, and rebel against the one who gave them life, and so they go to their deaths, when the distrust of the heart leads here! Dear brothers and sisters, this first part of that story encourages us to take a closer look at the moments in our personal history and the history of the community when trust in the Lord and among us has failed. How many times have we hardened ourselves, disappointedly and grumpily, in our deserts, losing sight of the destination of the journey! Even in this great country, there is a desert that, although it offers a beautiful landscape to look at, at the same time speaks to us about the effort and aridity that we sometimes carry in our hearts. These are moments of weariness and trial, when we no longer have the strength to look up to God; they are situations of personal, ecclesiastical, and social life, when we are bitten by a snake of mistrust, which will inject into us the poisons of disillusionment and despondency, pessimism and resignation, lock us into our ego, and extinguish enthusiasm.

However, there have been other painful bites in the history of this country: I mean the poisonous snakes of violence and atheistic persecution, that often troubled path on which people’s freedom was threatened and their dignity wounded. It is good for us to keep memories of what we have endured: we must not cut sure dark sides out of memory, otherwise we might think that they have already passed away like water and that the path of goodness is forever marked out. No, peace is never won once and for all; it must be fought for every day, as well as achieved through the coexistence of different ethnic groups and religious traditions, integral development, and social justice. If Kazakhstan is to grow even more “in brotherhood, dialogue and understanding […], build bridges of solidarity and cooperation with other people, nations and cultures “(sv. John Paul II, speech at the welcoming ceremony, September 22, 2001), everyone needs to be involved. Before that, it is necessary to renew the act of faith towards the Lord: to look to Him, to look at Him, to learn from His universal and crucified love.

So we come to the second image of the snake that saves. While the people were dying from the snake bite, God heard Moses’ intercessory prayer and said to him: “Make a snake and raise it on a stake; everyone bitten when he looks at it, stays alive “(Nm 21.8). And indeed, “when the snake bit someone and they looked at the copper snake, they remained alive “(v. 9). However, we can ask ourselves: why did God not simply destroy the poisonous snakes instead of these laborious instructions to Moses? This way of acting reveals to us his actions in the face of evil, sin, and people’s distrust. Then, as today, in the great spiritual struggle that will inhabit history until the end, God does not destroy the meanness that man freely commits: poisonous snakes do not disappear, they are still there, lurking, they can bite at any time. So, what has changed? What does God do?

Jesus explains this in the Gospel: “As Moses exalted the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be exalted so that everyone who believes may have eternal life through him “(John 3,14 15). Here comes the turning point: the serpent that saves has come among us; it is Jesus who, after his exaltation on the cross, will not allow attacking poisonous snakes to bring us death. Compared to our mundaneness, God gives us a new height: if we fix our gaze on Jesus, gnawing evil can no longer control us, because He on the cross took upon Himself the poison of sin and death and defeated His destructive power. This is precisely what the Father did in the face of the spreading evil in the world; he gave us Jesus, who approached us in a way we could never have imagined: “S the one who was without sin, he acted for us as the greatest sinner, so that through him, we might be righteous with God “(2 Cor 5,21). Therein lies the infinite greatness of God’s mercy: Jesus, who “became a son” for us, Jesus, who on the cross so to speak “stayed the hand of death “, so that at the sight of him we can resist the poisonous bites of the evil snakes that attack us.

(…) The question is, who wrote this sheet, or can we even say this excerpt that we read today? The answer to this question is significant for understanding the whole text. Sure, it was written in Colossians, but who were these Colossians? First of all, they were Greeks; this aspect plays a big role there, it is of great importance, and then they were Christians, who had converted from paganism. When a person “turns” or starts doing something new, such as attending a school or joining a club, or learning a foreign language, they are excited about it. However, as a rule, how does it typically go? Most people start to slow down after a while. He discovers that there are some problems, some obstacles, and that it’s not all as he imagined; maybe the teacher is not quite right, or his classmates, or there are problems with the thing itself. The Christians in Colossae also discovered that there are problems in the church as well, that it is not all as 100 percent as they thought, and they, too, began to falter in their enthusiasm.

Paul, because he saw it, because he knew them, wanted to confirm their initial enthusiasm, tried to encourage them again, to bring them to it again, so that they don’t just become some average or below average Christians, but are as zealous as they were at the beginning, and that’s why he writes this text to them. It is a text intended for encouragement. As I said, the Colossians were Greek. Here is one such essential aspect of Greek thought. This aspect was formulated by the philosopher Plato, and it was not precisely a happy division; namely, Plato divided the world into the visible world and the invisible world, and he also assigned labels to each. He said that the visible world is evil; on the contrary, the invisible world is the real thing. In other words, Plato said: „A human soul that is invisible and cannot be touched, this soul is trapped in the human body and looks forward to the moment when it gets rid of that body.“ So Plato introduced a kind of division, but it was incorrect. The apostle Paul writes to the Colossians and says to them: „This division is bad, the world forms unity. Just as God made him visible and invisible ( we say it in prayer, I believe in God every Sunday), so this world forms unity, and you can’t say: therefore, that something is visible and can be touched is bad, and because something is invisible and cannot be touched, it is good. Not like this at all, you can’t divide it like this.“

Plato’s reflection continued that it is necessary to stay away from material things, from visible things, so that man has within himself the true wealth of invisible things. Apostle Paul wants to say to the Colossians: „No. A Christian, one who believed in Jesus Christ, will not withdraw from the visible world, but will have a different attitude towards it. Like all travelers, they look to the cardinal points, they look to the sky, and in the sky they look for a polar bear that shows them the north and derives from it where they will go, so the Christian will look at Christ.“ Or let’s say it a little differently. As a person who goes on a journey somewhere, he looks at the timetable when something is going for him, and accordingly sets out on that journey and prepares himself, thus the Christian will look at Christ and from Christ he will then derive his attitude towards all things, towards all realities – whether to those that are seen or to those, which are not visible.

Every person has one ability that only we humans have, which is to think about ourselves. Paul writes about it to the Colossians: „Cloth a new man who renews himself to the right knowledge.“ Only a person can stop, think about what was (we call it „, do a reflection of one’s own life“), and say: „This was done, thank you,“ or also say: „I messed this up, this failed, and I have to do otherwise.“ It takes a lot of force to admit a mistake in such a self-critical way; it’s not easy at all. It takes a lot of inner strength, a lot of bravery, and then it takes a lot of courage to change it to correct it somehow. But it is the mission of us Christians to look at Christ, to look at Him as an indicator of the way, an indicator of direction, and, according to Christ, to take a position on things that are around us, whether material things or intangible things.

We, too, have certainly experienced the fact that everything in the church is not just enough, that it is not all as we would like, as we would imagine. We must have also experienced the fact that those we thought would be our role models somehow disappointed us. It would be a mistake if, because of these difficulties, we put aside our faith and put aside our view of Christ because of these problems. On the contrary, if we all try to live according to the gospel, if we all try to look at Christ, then we can say, there will be fewer and fewer disappointments. So may we be able, according to Paul’s instructions, at this time, which is the time of vacation, the time of rest, to make time for ourselves too – to stop, think, and check our life direction and ask: „ Am I really following Christ?“

Brothers and sisters. We know that when building a church, a house, or any other building, the architect plays an important role. The architect is responsible for designing and drawing up plans for the building. Ultimately, his role is twofold: to create the building so that it is aesthetically pleasing and functional.

We could say that in the history of salvation, there is the most critical architect, who is God himself. When we read the Holy Scriptures, we can see how God beautifully and wisely directs the different periods and how carefully he selects the individuals who shape these events. In this sense, we can reflect on the event of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and her arrival in the world. As a skilled architect, God fulfilled both essential aspects in the birth and life of the Virgin Mary: Mary was born as a beautiful temple of God, untouched by the stain of original sin. At the same time, Mary received her mission from God. This mission is expressed in the presidential prayer at the liturgy of the feast of her birth; namely, that Mary’s birth announced the birth of the light of the world — Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary is presented here as the most important of God’s creations – her spiritual beauty and her mission to give birth to the Savior of mankind make her the greatest of all.    

Perhaps non-Catholics could criticize us for celebrating the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, as this event is not directly referenced in Scripture. Indeed, although it is an ancient festival that has been celebrated since around the 5th century, the events surrounding the birth of the Virgin Mary are mainly drawn from the apocryphal gospels, which were not accepted by the Church as inspired Scripture, as well as from the Church’s tradition. However, when we take a closer look at the Holy Scriptures, we see that God prepared for the coming of the Virgin Mary from eternity. After the first people sinned, he announced the arrival of a woman in paradise who would be beyond the Devil’s power. At the same time, biblical scholars have identified several figures in the Old Testament as being images of Mary, who would become the sanctuary of God. One of the most beautiful is the comparison of the Virgin Mary to the Ark of the Covenant. We know that God instructed Moses to make the Ark of the Covenant exactly as He instructed. It was intended to be a sign that the holy God was present among his people. It was a beautifully decorated box in which essential items were stored: the two tablets of God’s law, manna as miraculous food, and a testimony to God’s care for his people in the form of Aaron’s staff, which blossomed. We can certainly compare the Virgin Mary to this Ark of God. Through her birth, God began to create a sanctuary within her for Jesus, who was born from her. The Holy Spirit also descended upon her, and she conceived and gave birth to her child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary, the new Ark, was watched over by angels, through whom God often spoke to her. Therefore, Mary’s birth was no coincidence. On the contrary, every step in history was directed towards this, as evidenced by the long genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel. Many biblical personalities came first to fulfil their destiny with the name of Mary.

Brothers and sisters, it is essential for us to to discover the legacy of this holiday. What can we learn from Mary’s birth? Firstly, that every person’s life should come from the union of man, his prayers, and God’s promise. Joachim and Anna were unable to conceive for many years, despite being very devout, and they undoubtedly suffered when others wrongly judged them to be unloved and unblessed by God. However, they did not give up; instead, they sought God’s will. They kept praying, and their prayers were answered. I recently experienced this myself when I approached my husband. After several years of not being able to conceive, their prayers were answered. They were not tempted by the various possibilities of artificial insemination, but trusted that God would hear them. The moment they surrendered to God, accepting His will, God’s purpose began to be fulfilled. God blessed them with a new life. This is a lesson for us all: we should not try to control everything, but surrender ourselves to God. Therefore, a person’s birth does not depend solely on our desires or circumstances. I knew cases where husbands prioritized housing, careers, security, and certain material comforts, as well as a life without moral inhibitions; and years later, they told each other, ‘Now is the time to have a child’. ‘Now is the time to have a child’. But the child did not come. It’s as if it all depended on our decision alone, as if God’s will didn’t matter. The second implication of the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Virgin Mary is that our difficulties, crosses, and sufferings also have meaning on our journey to God. Mary’s birth was not without its unexpected twists and turns. After all, Mary was engaged to Joseph, and they certainly had a vision of how they wanted to live. However, God intervened and changed their plans. He certainly encouraged Mary and Joseph not to be afraid of the various trials that would come.

We all know how long we live now. For a long time, there was less division, sin, malice, and tension. But let’s keep in mind that today’s complex situation can also be an opportunity for us to realize that God still cares for us and will not abandon us, even when we suffer. Let this cross not break us, but lead us to greater humility. Let us continue to shape our conscience through prayer, adoration, and receiving the Eucharist, and through acts of love for others, remembering not to think only of ourselves. The important thing is to think mainly of others, especially at such a difficult time. May God help us in this, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. 

 How did Paul, the “servant of the persecution,» become Paul, the servant of the Gospel? This is how he began to change, surprisingly, thanks to a fascinating encounter with the resurrected Lord on the way to Damascus. Jesus told Paul, who hastened to imprison Christians, that he would become his “chosen tool’ to spread the Gospel among the Gentiles – and at no small personal cost! This encounter changed Paul’s life dramatically. And precisely what Jesus promised happened – Paul focused all his energy on spreading the good news about Christ to everyone around him. Would you also be able to repeat Paul’s words and talk about the Gospel as something that you also serve? Sure knew. It is the vocation of every Christian, not only a priest, missionary, or religious. Jesus wants each of us to become a herald of his glad tidings. He wants each of us to tell a story about God’s love for man. Paul himself provides us with some support points on how to do it as effectively as possible. See Chapters 22 and 26 in the Acts of the Apostles, where Paul, this great theologian, discusses his conversion. This is not speculative theology. Paul briefly summarizes how he met the Lord Jesus and how this meeting changed his life. Simply, directly, convincingly. Anyone can do this! What’s more, each of us is called to do so. Try to write down what you could talk about first. For example, it could be about how prayer brings you God’s peace. Or about how you get closer and closer to Jesus with each Holy Mass and how it fills you with gratitude for saving you from sin. Then pray with faith, expecting God to open the door for you. And finally, be careful about every opportunity that Jesus gives you to share your faith experience with someone you may invite to pray with you. Harvest is near! Let us ask the Lord for the grace and courage to become workers in his harvest.