Many people will avoid the raw emotion of the responsorial psalm of today’s Mass, Ps. 130. My opinion is that our society lives in the head and emotions are repressed until they explode in some way. What we have forgotten is that God gave us our emotions to experience the world. If we do not admit to sorrow, then we will never recognize true joy. If we deny our anger, then we will never know peace. The following quote from a commentary words it better than me. “Lament psalms

Won’t you be my neighbor? Most of us who grew up with PBS will recognize that question coming at the beginning of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It’s also the title of a documentary about him released a few years back. Fred Rogers was a pioneer in educational programming, but not without a cost. He had to defend himself before a judge. His work was publicly funded, and the US Senate was looking to pull his funding after only a short time on the air. Anger would be an app

Fear can incapacitate and motivate. Both are at work for Queen Esther. In context, she owed her life to her cousin Mordecai who took her in and cared for her like a father. When both their lives are in danger, she has one chance to save them and risks her own life for it. Prayer ideally comes with a longstanding relationship developed over time, not just when in distress. Prayer posture and petitions come more easily after time and effort spent in conversation with the L