The Catholic Church in the United States observes October as “Respect Life Month.” During this month, faithful Catholics are reminded to pray, protect, and support the most vulnerable – unborn human beings – from conception to their natural death. We also pray and help pregnant mothers who believe they carry a person with dignity and life.

Carl Jung once told a story of a man who asked a rabbi, "How come in the olden days God would show Himself to people, but today, nobody ever sees God?" The rabbi responded, "Because nowadays nobody can bow low enough." It takes tremendous humility and courage to pay attention to the reality of our Creator in the universe.

Church history tells us many great stories of men and women who refused to compromise the Church's teachings and the Bible's standards. One of which was the prophet Amos illustrated in today's first reading. Israel's poor were mistreated as wealthy leaders stole their money. Those leaders worshiped their material wealth and power instead of God. Therefore, God sent Amos as a voice for the poor.

Growing up in a small town, I remember the neighbors were good at telling stories about others. I recall a middle-aged woman; for some reason, my neighbors did not want to associate with her. They gossiped about her and her son and would ignore her whenever they saw her. After a while, she moved away, and no one saw her again. It must have been challenging to move, but perhaps it was the best solution for her and her son.