This is Cardinal Francis George.

I invite you to join me for the next few minutes to reflect with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire.

Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization,

using new media to spread the faith on every continent.

Father Barron challenges us to open our hearts to the Word on Fire, which is God's

Word of Love for each of us.

If our hearts are open, the Lord can change and transform us so that we might speak with love

about the one who is love.

The global benefactors of Word on Fire, with the support of the Archdiocese of Chicago,

now present Word on Fire.

Peace be with you.

Friends, our present Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, has said in his first encyclical that the church has three basic tasks. I found this very helpful, very illuminating

over the years as I've meditated upon it. First of all, it worships God. Secondly, it cares for

the poor. And thirdly, it teaches and evangelizes. Those are the three fundamental tasks of the church.

Everything else we do are related to those three somehow. And think about it. Go through the

typical work of a parish. I think you'll find, at the end of the day, these are the three great

headings. So it's helpful for us to meditate upon them.

And the readings for this weekend give us just that opportunity because the three readings

correspond, I think, really well to these three great essential tasks of the church's life.

We'll look first at the first reading, which is taken from the legal, if you

want, or moral section of the book of Exodus. It's toward the end of Exodus when all of the

details of the covenant are laid out. So after the narrative part at the beginning of Exodus,

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