Jesus shows us we’re like lamps, meant to be lighted, to be seen, and to help others see the light.

Some Catholics may oppose the death penalty but are just fine with abortion, while others proudly declare that life is sacred but support the warehousing and execution of prisoners.

Governors are using migrants and refugees as tools to try to punish political leaders and jurisdictions for their more supportive positions on migrants and asylum-seekers.

The Rosary offers the moral power of Jesus who showed us a God who was love, and offered a peace that the world cannot give.

And so, here we are in 2022, a fourth “first day” for our 5-year-old, launching into kindergarten with hopes, dreams and expectations of “normalcy” resting on her little outer space backpack laden shoulders.

Jesus is speaking to our human tendency to worry, sometimes ceaselessly, about tomorrow, about yesterday, about the far-off future and the long-dead past. Regrets can nag us from one direction, fear from the other.

If someone found your planner on the bus or a stranger glanced at your calendar on the wall or a hacker gained access to your phone’s events, would they see any sign you were a Catholic?

We seem to be in an epidemic of mass shootings, with so many innocent people killed, leaving entire communities in deep pain.

Ruth did not send “Ruth Sent Us.” But she and Antonin could send us to seek common ground in helping children and their mothers.

Even though ours is a world focused on “living our truths” and “living our authentic selves,” it has become a world of performance.