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Lord of Life, You have given us the gift of water, source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope. It quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds. We thank You, because it is also a symbol of your grace and love that renews us through Baptism. Today we ask You to teach us to safeguard it with gratitude, justice, and responsibility. Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children. We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity. May your Spirit make us pilgrims of the essential, able to live with simplicity, denouncing waste and pollution, defending the right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality. May our care for water be a sign of love for the Creator and a commitment to the lives of the poor, educating new generations to value and protect the Earth’s resources. Amen.

Lord of life, You created us in love and called us to live in fullness. Each person is a sacred gift that reflects your face, from the first instant of existence to the final breath of their journey on earth. Today we ask for the grace to recognize and protect the unique and unrepeatable value of every human being. May we learn to welcome life unconditionally, to tenderly care for fragility, to accompany each stage with respect, and to bravely defend those who have no voice. Forgive us, Lord, when we fall into indifference or the culture of discard, when we fail to see in others a being worthy of love. Give us a new heart, always ready to choose life, and generous hands that protect it through concrete actions. Make your Church a living witness of the Gospel of life, an open home where every life is celebrated, where no one feels unwanted, and where dignity is always honored and protected. Lord Jesus, may we love life as You love it: with tenderness, fidelity, and self-giving. May we proclaim, in words and actions, that every human life is worth the total gift of ourselves. Amen.

As I head off to my Pilgrimage and Journeying ‘experiment’ starting in Ponte de Barca, I reflect on the whirlwind of activities that has happened that past couple of days. In particular, I reflect on my experiences of my pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima. Fatima is a place … Read moreIn the Midst of Fatima: An Expression of Church Universal