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First Fruit

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Imagine “nothing.” In the beginning there was nothing. From nothing God brought into existence everything. When I try to imagine what nothing is, I envision complete darkness, but even darkness is something.  Nothing is not a thing. This is what God started with and from it he created, he willed into existence, all that we see and know – from the molten core of the earth to the stars in the galaxy; from dirt to trees to rivers to animals. All of it came from the God of lights, the unchanging Creator. 

We read today that every perfect gift comes from God and we know from Genesis that everything God created is good. The sand, the rocks, the clouds and the elephants are good. The lions, bees, cows, and plants are good. God’s imagination is boundless and it is all good.

Take a moment to recognize all God created and then reflect on your place in it. Not only are you good by virtue of being a creature of God, but you, according to James, are a first fruit of God’s creation. The first fruit is the fruit of the harvest offered to God in thanksgiving. It’s the best and it’s offered in recognition that God deserves the best. 

Here, James is positing that humans are the first fruits of creation – the best. This includes all of us. By his will he created you just as you are and you are a first fruit. It’s hard to remember this. It’s easy to find fault with ourselves. When I look in the mirror I see what’s wrong more often than what’s right. When I reflect on my actions, I see where I could have done better instead of what I did well. I forget that by nature of being willed by God that I am good. He made me as I am and he loves me as I am. To tell myself otherwise is an insult to the One who made me because he only makes good.

I am a first fruit. As are you. We are good. We are loved. We are enough. 

Why?

Because God made us that way.

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Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.

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Lend Your Talents to God’s Kingdom

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The parable of the talents can sometimes be a difficult Gospel to wrap our heads around … but it doesn’t have to be. I think that some people can get hung up on the fact that this Gospel passage is actually about money but it can be easily applied to our natural gifts and talents as well. 

I’m going to ask you to do something slightly uncomfortable right now. Stop for a moment, close your eyes, take a deep breath and identify what your God-given gifts are. This can be an uncomfortable practice because some of us (myself included) have trouble seeing what our gifts and talents are for a variety of different reasons. However, it is a necessary practice as each of us works to build up the Kingdom of God here on earth. 

Okay, so, deep breath. I am … Fill in the blank with your gifts and talents. Here’s a few of my own, since I know I need more practice identifying my gifts: I am a strong writer. I am organized. I am a good listener. Keep your list going as long as possible. And, if you are having trouble coming up with different gifts and talents (I know I did), don’t be afraid to invite the Holy Spirit into a moment of prayer, asking him for help in seeing your gifts the way that he sees them. 

Now, reflect on each individual talent that you listed. How does this gift help me to build up the Kingdom of God? For example, I am able to use my gift of writing to build up the Kingdom of God by writing different blogs like this to share the truths of the Gospel and our faith. I can also use this gift to the benefit of my parish by writing reflections for our bulletin and for editing different publications that we might put out. 

Finally, let’s reflect on our gifts and talents in light of today’s Gospel. How can we be like the first two servants who took their five and two talents, respectively, and made an additional five and two talents? In other words, how can we use our current gifts and talents and build upon them in order to further our work of building the Kingdom of God? This might take some time to discern but I encourage you – do not be afraid of the possibilities! Through the grace of God and with the power of the Holy Spirit, our gifts can do great things in the world. 

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Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter@erinmadden2016.

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Radiant Grace

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Today’s Gospel is a bit difficult to apply because we are so far removed from the cultural references – virgins? bridegroom? wedding feast? oil lamps?

If the “wedding feast” here refers to Heaven, and the bridegroom is Jesus himself (images already present in the Old Testament), then we see that the Church is the Bride of Christ, and each one of us is also his bride.  

Those waiting for the bridegroom are described as “virgins” – those who seek “the one thing necessary”, as Jesus said (Lk 10:42); their souls thirst for the Lord (Psalm 63); they are focused fully on being ready for Jesus to return for them. He is delayed and comes at midnight to bring the virgins into the feast with him when they have all become weary and fallen asleep, but only half of them are prepared. The foolish half did not bring enough oil to keep their small lamps burning and had run out. The wise ones brought enough to wait right through the heart of the night, so they replenish their oil and stoke up their flames.

What is this “oil”? The oil that keeps their lamps burning to the end of their lives when Jesus comes to bring them into the Heavenly Feast signifies grace and love, their loving desire, faithfulness, and prayer, their pure and burning offering of themselves to him.  

The foolish ones think of these things as a superficial commodity they can run out and get at the last minute, but growing in love and grace and becoming the person we are created to be is the work of a lifetime. This is why the wise virgins cannot give any of their oil to the foolish ones – the oil is a specific image of Christ-life within each of us, and the warmth and light that come from deep devotion and fidelity cannot be handed off to another at the last minute.

Jesus tells us that he has come to cast a fire on earth (Lk 12:49), and he desires that it burn in a unique way in each of us. This fire that God longs to see in each soul grows throughout our spiritual journey, gradually taking its shape in the depths of our relationship with the Lord and with one another. We can let our light shine for others, and others may light their lamps from this fire, but the oil must come from each person’s cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit within them, as they become a unique Image of God.

This is the goal of each individual life and of the whole of human history – to grow in our relationship with God in such a way that we burn with the radiance for which He created us so that He knows us as His own and we light up the world and heaven in the way that He has called us to shine.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and four grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com

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Who Is Blameless?

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       In today’s letter to the Thessalonians, Paul tells us in the last line “to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father  at the coming of our lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” What does the word blameless mean to you? To me it means purity. When is the last time you heard a person in conversation use the word pure or purity? It just does not seem to be a word we use anymore. Dare I say it is because of a change in our culture? There are many areas of life where this change might have come from. If a generation is 40 years, then I have lived about two of them. The Lord touched me at four years old in the basement of a Free Methodist church in 1949. I have tried all my life, since then, to be obedient to God’s voice. Guess what? I don’t always do that! God in his mercy has never left me. 
       The change in our culture occurred in a very short time. The increase in technology has certainly contributed to it. How? 10-year-olds are carrying smartphones. They have access to the same filth that adults do. Violence in games seems to be addictive. Mortal Kombat was a big hit when it first came out a few years ago. Now there are some that make it look like Frogger. (Slight exaggeration.)  Some would say it doesn’t affect our children. Don’t believe that. I know a guy that lost his job because he couldn’t put down the controller and he played games all night. Then he was late for work every morning. It happened too many times. And he was fired. So, how do we guard ourselves and protect purity for ourselves and our children? Answer, by being intentional. And monitoring our children and ourselves. And making sure they are not watching inappropriate videos, etc. I have a daughter that does not allow their children to get on YouTube. It has a way of drawing one into other videos that may not be appropriate.
        Did you ever wonder what purity looks like? It’s easy, just pick up a baby and hold him or her in your left arm and then look lovingly at their face. This child is holy, pure, and innocent, it is the closest we get to seeing God. I believe the birth of my sister helped me in this area. She was born 12 years after me in 1957. When I turned 16 I got a car. And took her everywhere. She told me a while back that I took her and my girlfriend to the drive-in movie. No brother ever does that. At first I didn’t remember doing it. But I guess I did. It was the I was the only 16 year old guy in Ludington driving around with his little sister sitting next to him in his 1954 Buick. We are very close to this day.
       If today is the day you want to work on your purity, the answer is simple, ask God for the grace to do so. You can pray with great confidence that it will be answered! Why? Because He desires it more that you do! There is a condition. You must receive it and then put it into action. God will not force it upon you. You will become a new person!
      Serving with Joy!

Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the parents of eight children and twenty-nine grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002.  He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.

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Inspecting Our Insides

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Does your outside match your inside? Actions, as they say, speak far louder than words. We reveal so much more of ourselves by our behavior than from what we say. However, even if we sometimes fool the world, we can never hide the truth from God. No wonder today’s Gospel calling out the Pharisees is paired with Psalm 139, particularly the responsorial refrain, “You have searched me and you know me, Lord.” God’s knowledge of us goes so far beyond searching, for He has created us. He knows every hair on our heads, our comings in our goings, and our inner beings. What good does it do us to even attempt to hide from God? What objective do we hope to accomplish? If we believe in Him, should not our whole being become a symphony of pleasing Him? Every moment in harmony with the life of grace and holiness His love calls us to?  Through sin and temptation, we can fail, we can fall, we can even attempt to evade, but regardless of what we do, because of what He did, we are never lost. Even if we become unwittingly whitewashed tombs, God is there to rescue our souls with the vivid color of His grace.  On the outside, a perfectly crafted faithful avatar to show the world, but inside we rail against many of God’s teachings. “Hypocrites,” Jesus calls the Pharisees. Looking at your life, do these harsh words apply to who we have allowed ourselves to be? Do our Christian insides match our outsides?  You search me, and you know me, Lord. You know there are days I struggle to attend Mass or even to pray. You know, my battle with gossip and judging, and all the sins I continually bring to my Confessor. You know I doubt, fear, and forget some days to bring these weaknesses to you in prayer—perhaps even bordering on despair in my wrestling with the world or my current circumstances. Alleluia. You loving God, never leave me without hope. “Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him” (1 John 2:5). May you find more of you and less of me the next time you search me, God. May my insides match more closely the outside, especially that image of me who longs to love and live like you. Contact the author

Allison Gingras works for WINE: Women In the New Evangelization as National WINE Steward of the Virtual Vineyard. She is a Social Media Consultant for the Diocese of Fall River and CatholicMom.com. She is a writer, speaker, and podcaster, who founded ReconciledToYou.com and developed the Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women (OSV).   

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The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.

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Lord, We Ask For Your Mercy

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This past week I moved a dear friend of mine home from an assisted living facility to his own place. He was placed there after a week in the hospital to recover from an illness. The illness hit him fast and hard; One day he was fully functional and the next he was in the hospital completely relying on others for his care. It was a pretty traumatic experience. He felt very alone and was fearful he would not be able to care for himself. After a week he was well enough to leave the hospital but not strong enough to be on his own. He was skeptical that a care facility would be a good place for him even if for a short time.  

We did not have the ability to bring him to our home, so he went to the care facility. After a short stay he was ready to return home. My family and a few friends readied his place to welcome him. He was overwhelmed by our service and generosity. After we settled him in he asked if he could say a prayer before we left. He thanked God, the crew who cared for him so well at the facility, and those who helped at his home. Then he said, ”Lord, we ask you for your mercy because we sure don’t want your justice.” We all chuckled then said goodbye. 

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded of Nathanael’s words, “ How could anything good come from such a place?” So often we are skeptical when someone tries to convince us of the truth until we can comprehend it for ourselves. Frank did not think the staff at the care facility would care for him well. He did not think he had anyone who would come to his aid. He prayed for God’s mercy and put his life in His hands. When we are receptive to the word of Christ and when we see his love in action, the Lord Jesus himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, touches our hearts and opens our minds to recognize the Father’s love and truth to us.

We shared our faith through our actions by cleaning Frank’s home, purchasing groceries, and setting up a plan for regular visitors. Today’s Psalm proclaims, “Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom” (Ps 145:12).

Who have you brought to Jesus Christ?  We have a lot of people to thank, but do we have anyone that will thank us?  Have I brought anyone closer to our Lord? How often do we make judgments on people or situations, convinced that we are correct? How often can we be blinded to a message from God by a “type of messenger” we didn’t expect? 

The Lord does not ask us to convert anyone.  He asks us to simply proclaim the Good News in word and action.  Only the Lord knows the hearts of His people.  Only He knows us by heart. 

Lord, grant us an open heart and mind so we can truly see you in all people. Help us to overcome our own prejudices, against others and against God himself.  And Lord, we ask you for your mercy because we sure don’t want justice without it!

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Andrea Perry is the Customer Care team leader at Diocesan. She enjoys camping, cooking, and traveling, and most of all spending time with her children and her 8 siblings! 

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Let Your Actions Speak

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When I read daily Mass readings, I don’t usually think of a Second Reading that would have fit nicely, I just reflect on those readings. Today, though, I was reminded of James 2:14-26 and its discussion of how faith is manifested through works, and faith without works is dead.

Each of the readings today emphasizes that, for better or for worse, our actions speak louder than our words. We don’t necessarily need to talk about our faith if our actions shout it out. As Jesus said in John 13:35, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love is shown in actions, not in words. In the Psalm, much of the description of praising God is in actions like singing and dancing. Of course we are called to use words, too, but not solely.

The Gospel, on the other hand, focuses on the inverse. That when our words are holy but our actions are not, we inflict pain on God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We might think we are doing God’s will when we “talk a good game” without actually acting out our faith in service to God and others with Joy and Charity, but we are only bringing sadness and woe to everyone involved, in the long run.

In these readings, I see a call to two things: first, to show my faith in acts of service for the love of God and neighbor, done not grudgingly, but with generosity and joy. Second, to examine my conscience to see if my words and public deeds are matching my private deeds and what is in my heart. If we do these two things, I can’t help but think that the Lord will delight in us and our efforts.

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J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”

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The Queenship of Mary

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The feast of the Queenship of Mary was established sixty seven years ago by Pope Pius XII on the 22nd of August, giving closure to the octave of Mary which began last Sunday with the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Today’s feast fits nicely with the readings that speak of Spirit and life. Mary carried the Living Word and the life-giving Spirit of God in her Son, Jesus.
Mary understood intimately that Jesus was Spirit in the flesh and the definition of the living Word of God the Father. 

Let us pray together the following, written by Pope Francis in 2013, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, for her intercession, to be filled with the Spirit and be more effective instruments of Jesus here in this world.

Mary, Virgin and Mother,

you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,

welcomed the word of life

in the depths of your humble faith:

as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,

help us to say our own “yes”

to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,

to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Filled with Christ’s presence,

you brought joy to John the Baptist,

making him exult in the womb of his mother.

Brimming over with joy,

you sang of the great things done by God.

Standing at the foot of the cross

with unyielding faith,

you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,

and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit

so that the evangelizing Church might be born.

Obtain for us now a new ardor born of the resurrection,

that we may bring to all the Gospel of life

which triumphs over death.

Give us a holy courage to seek new paths,

that the gift of unfading beauty

may reach every man and woman. 

Virgin of listening and contemplation,

Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast,

pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are,

that she may never be closed in on herself

or lose her passion for establishing God’s kingdom.

Star of the new evangelization,

help us to bear radiant witness to communion,

service, ardent and generous faith,

justice and love of the poor,

that the joy of the Gospel

may reach to the ends of the earth,

illuminating even the fringes of our world.

Mother of the living Gospel,

wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones,

pray for us.

Amen. Alleluia!
Pope Francis, Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013)

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and a practicing spiritual director. Beth shares smiles, prayers, laughter, a listening ear and her heart with all of creation. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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God’s Generosity

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As a child, my parents taught me to tithe 10% of every dime I made. I started delivering newspapers when I was nine years old and babysitting when I was eleven or twelve, so each week I would bring my contribution to church.

My dad was on the stewardship committee at our parish for many years and he loved to tell the story of me as a child leaning over to my mom asking if I could borrow $1.20 to put in the collection basket because I had earned $12 that week and had forgotten my wallet.

I share this not to toot my own horn, but rather to express that there is something truly beautiful about tithing and it has helped me to keep God first by cutting Him the first check right off the top.

My husband and I have been through some tough times for sure. Unemployment, underemployment, a signed work contract that wasn’t honored, renters who didn’t pay, people who trashed portions of our home, etc. But not once have we been without food to eat or a roof over our heads and very seldom have we even been in debt.

If any of you are familiar with Dave Ramsey, he suggests doing a monthly $0 budget, where you keep track of all income versus all expenses and they should balance out to $0. I have been doing this for quite some time, and somehow, I always end up in the red. (BOO!) But what never ceases to amaze me and what I don’t fully understand, is that even though I come out in the negative on paper, I always have money in the bank left over! It is almost like God multiplies my own little loaves and fishes each and every month! God is good!

I truly believe this is a phenomenon of God’s generosity. He takes my measly 10% and makes sure I never go without.

God shows similar generosity in today’s First Reading. Ruth, a poor foreigner who left her family and her native land to take care of her mother-in-law, was blessed in abundance. Boaz recognized her virtue and took her as his wife and she was never in need again. Most likely, it didn’t occurred to her that she was being generous, she was just acting out of love, but God rewarded her nonetheless. Not only did she enjoy financial stability, she became the great-grandmother of King David!

Today’s Psalm declares: “See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.” The Lord wants to bless us so much more than we can imagine. We may have to weather poverty or storms or difficulties, but we can always find God’s hand in our lives, no matter what we are going through.

So whether it be by tithing, taking care of a loved one or serving in a ministry God has called us to, let us strive to be generous with God. Then sit back and see just how generous He is with you!

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Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling home improvement projects, finding fun ways to keep her four boys occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at her parish, is a guest blogger on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net, runs her own blog at https://togetherandalways.wordpress.com and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for almost 20 years.

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The Significance of Love

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In the Gospel reading today, the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. He responded: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This pretty much sums up all the commandments, does it not? We must love our Lord with all of our being. And we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It seems easy. But, like many things in life, it’s easier said than done. First, let’s understand what love really means, as lots of people use the word to indicate a strong desire for something (like pizza or chocolate) or to indicate that they especially like something. While we can really like chocolate, adore koalas, or be fond of an excellent movie, that isn’t the meaning of love that Christ was referring to. The love Christ meant goes much deeper than a strong desire or proclivity for something.  He wants us to love Him above all else. And that love requires action. If we truly love God above all else, that means we pray throughout the day, we talk about our faith proudly, we go to confession regularly, we cherish the reception of His body in the Eucharist, and we glorify Him in all we do. In short, we develop a relationship with God, and we work on strengthening that relationship every single day. That is the love He commands from us. Loving others as we love ourselves means that we want what’s best for the other person. It means that we never wish any harm to come to them. We don’t speak ill of them. We treat them kindly and with compassion. And when Christ said to love our neighbor, He didn’t mean just our friends. Friends are easy to love. He meant everyone around us. That means we have to love the cashier at the grocery store, the bothersome person at work, the politician we dislike, or the person who has wronged us.  That is the hard part of God’s commandment. But we must also remember that loving others does not mean condoning bad behavior. It means treating them kindly, praying for them, serving as a good example, and teaching them about God. Indeed, we must be the light of Christ to them. When we faithfully follow these two commandments, we will not only find ourselves growing closer to God, but we will also make our world a better place. And this will lead to an eternity with God that begins with “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Contact the author

Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.

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