On January 25, Pope Benedict XVI again proclaimed his desire "to ignite a fervent missionary movement in the Catholic Church," stating he wants to advance "the entire Catholic Church into a new missionary age" in 2011 (Catholic.org, January 28, 2011).  While this movement will ultimately contribute to fulfilling prophecies such as Isaiah 47:8–9 and Revelation 17:2–5, an aspect of this rejuvenated "fervent missionary movement" already affects billions. This is the growing emphasis on Sunday observance.

The burden of debt on this nation is overwhelming! The United States' government is staring at the need to raise the debt ceiling again above $14 trillion. All but several of the 50 states have budget deficits of billions of dollars. Why did the wealthiest nation in the world come to be in this condition?

Profound sadness is the deep emotion one feels when we learn of the death of a child of tender years. It is an emotion that once gripped me strongly, when I learned of the death of two children, ages nine and twelve, a little boy and a girl having fun in the snow, sledding and doing what kids do until—they fell through the ice in a pond and drowned. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other died a little later in the hospital, as efforts to resuscitate failed.

The whole world was riveted to their television sets and computer screens, as the demonstrators and protestors in Cairo, Egypt chanted their demands and openly defied the long-established dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. The undulating mass of rebels in the streets received incredible media attention from around the world. The United States-backed regime finally caved and Mubarak fled Cairo, leaving the military in charge, at least for the present.

War. It’s an ugly word. It denotes death and destruction, pain and suffering, ruination and devastation. Every year, it affects tens of millions of human beings. Will war ever end?