Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I dedicated you…

Jeremiah 1:5

These words always cause me to ponder the wonderful mystery of my being in relationship to God. These words spoken to Jeremiah, as God was calling him to be a prophet to the nations, speak to each and every one of us. As God’s children, as His creation, He has known us from the beginning and has created and formed each and every one of us for a purpose. How great this mystery. Ponder this wonderful truth in your prayer. It will challenge you, just as it did Jeremiah. When he heard these words Jeremiah protested saying, “I am too young.” The Lord then assured him of the call which he received to be a prophet to the nations. Who is God calling you to be?

This verse of scripture speaks to the depths of our soul as we ponder our deepest meaning in life. This is only possible in relationship to the One who made us. God informs us as we sit with Him in the silence. That is not so easy at first. It must be a habit that we foster. Because of the constant input and noise of our society, it is hard to sit and listen. Start with a short time, but make it consistent. Try 15 minutes. Just make the sign of the cross and sit with the Lord. Maybe use the Gospel as a starting point. Read the Gospel for the daily Mass or for the upcoming Sunday. Read it slowly and prayerfully once or twice and then let the Lord speak to you. Fostering this habit, it will get to be natural. Some days are easier than others. God is always there to guide us if we let Him. Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to be your guide and He will show you the way. Spending this time with Him will foster the relationship and help you to know how to speak to Him in prayer, and will prompt you to go to Him for your every need.

This week we once again remember how millions of our brothers and sisters are not here with us because they never had the opportunity to be born. We are so fortunate that we have been given this life and as we ponder the gift given to us we are moved to do all we can for those who have no voice to protect themselves. The bishops of the U.S. have called us to pray in union with them in these days.

On January 22 our nation will mark the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal throughout the U.S. Since that tragic decision, more than 55 million children's lives have been lost to abortion, and many suffer that loss -- often in silence. Join thousands of Catholics across the country coming together in prayer for a "culture of life" from Saturday, January 18 - Sunday, January 26!

Please check out the resources given by the U.S. bishops and join us in this novena of prayer, penance, and pilgrimage. If you can join us, we will be celebrating the Mass for Life at St. Martin’s in Lacey on Tuesday Jan. 21, at 9:30am followed by the March for Life at the Capital in Olympia. If you can’t join us physically, please join us in prayer with this wonderful resource given to us by the bishops.

Fr. Jack D. Shrum