November 9. Trafficking.  SEE.  We hear a lot about child trafficking, how these traffickers groom children to become prostitutes.  Is that sinful for them or for the traffickers?  Or what about those who go to prostitutes, surely that is sinful?    The children are tempted with sweets, cellphones, clothes and may be given drugs to make them become addicted.  Could their behaviour then be regarded as sinful?  The school had sent a notice to families to talk to their children about trafficking but of course the idea of temptation and sin was not something the school addressed. Parents, as the first educators of their children, dare not lose out on doing their moral duty or else their children may lose their lives.

JUDGE. Reflect, share, Scripture:  Jesus said, “Temptations to sin are sure to come but woe to him by whom they come! But anyone who tempts children does a great wrong, such people should be thrown away.” Luke 17:1-6 Pope Francis The sexual exploitation of children is a scandalous and perverse reality in present-day society. Sexual abuse of children is all the more scandalous when it occurs in places where they ought to be most safe, in families, schools, communities and Christian institutions.  AL 45. Pope Leo:  In recent years, psychological and psychiatric literature has documented with growing insistence how early and unsupervised exposure to digital devices and social media can negatively impact sleep, attention span, control of emotions and relationships, especially during the most vulnerable stages of life, at times with tragic consequences. This is further aggravated by easy access to violent or degrading content that offends sensibility, to pornographic and hypersexualized material, to messages that trivialize the body and emotions, and to proposals that normalize risky behavior. Online phenomena such as grooming, blackmail and the sexual exploitation of minors are not uncommon, and are made more insidious by the use of fake profiles, algorithms that facilitate dangerous contact, and AI tools capable of manipulating images and videos. Having a personal mobile device at too early an age and using it without adult supervision can exacerbate young people’s vulnerabilities, foster addiction and expose them to isolation, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information.  MH141

ACT AND PRAY. COMMUNAL PRAYER FOR THE DEAD.  God  Our Father, we remember in prayer those who have had a special place  in our hearts and in our lives and are now no longer here with us.  We thank you Lord, for the gift of life we have shared together.  We ask forgiveness for the hurts we caused and forgive our loved ones too. Comfort us through the memories they leave us. May those memories give us courage for our journey into the future. Grant them a place of peace and joy in your kingdom where there is no more suffering and grief.  And when each of us is called to depart from this life, may we be reunited with them in eternal happiness.    Amen