Scripture Readings:     Genesis 2:18-24;     Hebrews 2:9-11;     Mark 10:2-16

There is the temptation, to think that the living of our Faith, has little to do with how we live our lives day in and day out as a person, family and people.

In recent days, we again had “breaking news,” share another horror, this time in Oregon. And then again begins the political debate about guns.  (And I am not here to enter that debate.)

Aware that this is “Respect Life Month,” I began to reflect that maybe we should be centering in on “Respect for:  Others, Creation, Environment,” which takes or maybe should be taking many, many, many forms in our lives and world daily.

+ Respecting others, as we respect ourselves.  (There may be the first challenge; do we respect ourselves)

+ Respecting others, as the person they are, not the person we want them to be.

+ Respecting others, in our positive conversations about others.

+ Respecting others, by going out of our way to do good and avoid evil.

+ Respecting others, by beginning at home, with our spouse, with our parents, with our children.

+ Respecting others, by driving more caringly and less aggressively.

+ Respecting others, by our gestures of kindness, politeness, deference.

+ Respecting others, in many, many ways that I am sure every one of us could add to this short list.

It seems to me, that when we respect others, just maybe some of the issues we have at home, at school, at work, in the community,  in the Parish, in the world… would drop significantly.

It also, needs to be shared that respect for others has many Brothers and Sisters:

Like:   Respect for creation… How do we treat our pets (most appropriate on this Feast of St. Francis of Assisi)

Like:  Respect for our environment.

+The question is not do I have something, like electricity or water; but how to I responsibly use electricity and water.    Did you know, that even the Pope goes around the “Santa Marta” where he lives, turning out lights.    (And probably closing doors, too.)

+  What do we do with those returnable bottles?  Throw them away or return them for deposit.

+  What do we do with the litter in our hands?  Is it discarded in the nearby trash can, or is it discarded on the floor, the ground, the road, the pew – at that moment?

Finally, let me close with a request the Pope asked of families, last weekend, that maybe expresses the effort to respect one another, when he asked – “Families,” which is all of us, “Don’t yell at one another.”

Wise words, worth living, as a first step to respecting others and in our ongoing journey of growing in love of God and God’s people today and every day.