The word of God, when proclaimed in the liturgical assembly, is addressed to all present. It is often the case, however, that individual members of the congregation feel that on a particular day or in a particular setting, God’s word is specifically addressed to them: Paul’s words on love strike a chord with a couple on their wedding day (1 Corinthians 13), the recently widowed mother with young children may recognise the apostle James speaking directly to her (James 1, 27), or those who despair of the effectiveness of their prayer for themselves, a sick relative, a wayward teenager, a husband who has just been made redundant, or who are wrestling with despond at the tsunami of scandals breaking over the Church they love may gain fresh courage from Jesus’ insistence that prayers of petition will be answered (Mt. 7, 7-12).