Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. . .

Fr. Elliott gives several straightforward, simple, and practical steps to better understanding God’s call for you in your life. Too often the discernment process is clouded in mysticism or rooted too heavily on emotion. We may wait for a glaring sign from God, a literal booming voice from heaven, before deciding what vocational path to take. Fr. Elliott’s steps, rather, help young people to hear “the still, small voice” that God often uses to speak to us.

When asked what gets him out of bed each morning to continue the pro-life effort even after fifteen years, Shawn said that it is because of the value of human life. “I think it’s the sense of urgency that comes with every abortion. Every single abortion ends an innocent human being. And no matter how long I have done this, I have never felt burnt out from the root of what we are fighting for. If I didn’t do this work, this thought would consume me.”

In the context of John 6, Jesus does not tell us how we are to do what he asks but he is very clear that he meant what he said – a person needs to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. Jesus knew there would be confusion but, ultimately, he wanted his disciples to trust him. Even if they did not fully understand, they should not walk away simply because they were disturbed or bewildered. God’s ways are not our ways. He would reveal more in time.

In the New Testament, we find many titles for our Lord. He is the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Word, the King of kings, the great high priest, and many more. One that speaks to me is his title as “teacher.” We find Jesus referred to as “teacher” […]