by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 21, 2019 | Agenda Biblique
Chaire de Saint Pierre, apôtre
Pierre et ses successeurs ont à veiller à l’unité de l’Eglise. Le moyen fondamental, pour y parvenir, est de prêcher l’Evangile et de nourrir la foi dans le mystère du Christ. Chaire de Saint Pierre est le symbole de cette mission doctrinale. Elle n’est pas le trône d’un prince de ce monde, mais la place de celui qui, au nom de l’unique Pasteur, veille à ce que tous les croyants soient nourris de la Parole de vérité par leurs pasteurs. Cette Chaire évoque la solidité d’une foi qui est source de témoignage.
Blanc
Antienne d’ouverture : lc 22, 38
Le Seigneur dit à Pierre : « J’ai prié pour toi, afin que ta foi ne sombre pas. Toi donc, quand tu seras revenu, affermis tes frères.
Prière d’ouverture
Nous t’en prions, Dieu tout-puissant : fais que rien ne parvienne à nous ébranler, puisque la prière sur laquelle tu nous as fondés, c’est la foi de l ’Apôtre Saint Pierre. Par Jésus Christ.
Première lecture : 1 Pierre 5, 1-4
Bien-aimés, les anciens en fonction parmi vous, je les exhorte, moi qui suis ancien comme eux et témoin des souffrances du Christ, communiant à la gloire qui va se révéler : les pasteurs du troupeau de Dieu qui se trouve chez vous ; veillez sur lui, non par contrainte mais de plein gré, selon Dieu ; non par cupidité mais par dévouement; non pas en commandant en maîtres à ceux qui vous sont confiés, mais en devenant les modèles du troupeau. Et, quand se manifestera le Chef des pasteurs, vous recevrez la couronne de gloire qui ne se flétrit pas.
Psaume 22 (23), 1-2b, 2c-3, 4, 5, 6
R/ Le Seigneur est mon berger : rien ne saurait me manquer. (Cf. Ps 22, 1)
- Le Seigneur est mon berger: je ne manque de rien. Sur des prés d’herbe fraîche, il me fait reposer.
- Il me mène vers les eaux tranquilles et me fait revivre ; il me conduit par le juste chemin pour l’honneur de son nom.
- Si je traverse les ravins de la mort, je ne crains aucun mal, car tu es avec moi : ton bâton me guide et me rassure.
- Tu prépares la table pour moi devant mes ennemis ; tu répands le parfum sur ma tête, ma coupe est débordante.
- Grâce et bonheur m’accompagnent tous les jours de ma vie ; j’habiterai la maison du Seigneur pour la durée de mes jours.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Tu es Pierre, et sur cette pierre je bâtirai mon Église ; et la puissance de la Mort ne l’emportera pas sur elle. Alléluia. (Mt 16, 18)
Évangile : Mathieu 16, 13-19
En ce temps-là Jésus, arrivé dans la région de Césarée-de-Philippe, demandait à ses disciples : « Au dire des gens, qui est le Fils de l’homme?» Ils répondirent : « Pour les uns, Jean le Baptiste ; pour d’autres, Élie ; pour d’autres encore, Jérémie ou l’un des prophètes. » Jésus leur demanda: «Et vous, que dites-vous? Pour vous, qui suis-je ? » Alors Simon-Pierre prit la parole et dit : «Tu es le Christ, le Fils du Dieu vivant ! » Prenant la parole à son tour, Jésus lui dit : « Heureux es-tu, Simon fils de Yonas : ce n’est pas la chair et le sang qui t’ont révélé cela, mais mon Père qui est aux cieux. Et moi, je te le déclare: Tu es Pierre, et sur cette pierre je bâtirai mon Église ; et la puissance de la Mort ne l’emportera pas sur elle. Je te donnerai les clés du royaume des Cieux : tout ce que tu auras lié sur la terre sera lié dans les cieux, et tout ce que tu auras délié sur la terre sera délié dans les cieux. »
Prière sur les offrandes
Daigne accepter, Seigneur, l’offrande et la prière de ton Eglise: elle tient de l’enseignement de Pierre une foi inébranlable; permets qu’en demeurant sous sa conduite elle parvienne à l ’héritage éternel. Par Jésus.
Antienne de communion
Pierre dit à Jésus : « Tu es le Messie, le Fils du Dieu vivant. » Jésus lui répondit : « Tu es Pierre, et sur cette pierre je bâtirai mon Eglise. »
Prière après la communion
Tu nous as fortifiés, Seigneur notre Dieu, en cette fête du bienheureux Apôtre Pierre par la communion au corps et au sang du Christ; que cet échange où s ’accomplit notre salut soit pour nous le sacrement d ’unité et de paix. Par jésus.
Méditation
Une ouverture à l’Esprit de Dieu de la part du croyant peut lui permettre d’entrer dans une vraie intimité spirituelle avec le Christ et recevoir de lui certaines missions que lui seul veut bien confier. Pierre est déclaré heureux car le Père Lui-Même lui révèle des vérités sur son Fils. A ce titre, il peut devenir cette pierre sur laquelle le Christ bâtit son Eglise. L’expérience de Pierre nous invite aussi à cultiver cette relation sincère avec Dieu dans la prière et nos relations interpersonnelles.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 21, 2019 | Evangelium
The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, Feast
This feast has been celebrated in Rome since at least the fourth century. It signifies the unity of the Church founded upon the Apostles.
White
Entrance Antiphon: Lk 22: 32
The Lord says to Simon Peter: I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and, once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 1 Peter 5:1-4
Now I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.
Psalm 22(23)
R) The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
1)The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
2) He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
3) You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
4) Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Gospel Acclamation: Mt 16:18
Alleluia, alleluia!You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept with favour, O Lord, we pray, the prayers and offerings of your Church, that, with Saint Peter as her shepherd, she may come to an eternal inheritance, for it is through his teaching that she holds the faith in its integrity. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 16: 16, 18
Peter said to Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus replied: You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who at our celebration of the feast day of the blessed Apostle Peter have nourished us by communion in the Body and Blood of Christ, grant, we pray, that this redeeming exchange may be for us a Sacrament of unity and peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The authority and mission of Peter.Today we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle. The Lord said to Peter, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church,” and, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The Chair of St. Peter celebrates the authority of the Papacy and the particular mission entrusted to St. Peter by Jesus. So, the feast brings to mind the mission of teacher and pastor conferred by Christ on Peter, and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope. The name that Jesus gives to Peter is a second metaphor for an office of teaching and judging, and to drive the point home, Jesus uses a third metaphor by speaking of the “Keys of the kingdom of Heaven.” Finally, we celebrate the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle, and renew our assent to the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 20, 2019 | Evangelium
ST PETER DAMIAN (1007 – 1072)
Born in Ravenna, he joined the hermitage of Fonte Avellana. He strongly promoted the religious life in many parts of Italy and the Popes in their efforts at reform. He died on 21 February 1072.
Green/White
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 30: 3-4
Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me. For you are my rock, my stronghold! Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name.
Collect
O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Genesis 9:1-13
God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Be the terror and the dread of all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven, of everything that crawls on the ground and all the fish of the sea; they are handed over to you. Every living and crawling thing shall provide food for you, no less than the foliage of plants. I give you everything, with this exception: you must not eat flesh with life, that is to say blood, in it. I will demand an account of your life-blood. I will demand an account from every beast and from man. I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellow men. ‘He who sheds man’s blood shall have his blood shed by man, for in the image of God man was made. ‘As for you, be fruitful, multiply, teem over the earth and be lord of it.’ God spoke to Noah and his sons, ‘See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you, birds, cattle and every wild beast with you: everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I establish my Covenant with you: no thing of flesh shall be swept away again by the waters of the flood. There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’ God said, ‘Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.’
Psalm 101 (102):16-21, 29, 22-23
R/ The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
1)The nations shall fear the name of the Lord and all the earth’s kings your glory, when the Lord shall build up Zion again and appear in all his glory. Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; he will not despise their prayers.
2) Let this be written for ages to come that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord; for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. He looked down from heaven to the earth that he might hear the groans of the prisoners and free those condemned to die..
3) The sons of your servants shall dwell untroubled and their race shall endure before you that the name of the Lord may be proclaimed in Zion and his praise in the heart of Jerusalem, when peoples and kingdoms are gathered together to pay their homage to the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation: James1:18
Alleluia, alleluia!By his own choice the Father made us his children by the message of the truth, so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he created. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 8:27-33
Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May this oblation, O Lord, we pray, cleanse and renew us and may it become for those who do your will the source of eternal reward. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 77: 29-30
They ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them; they were not disappointed in what they craved.
Prayer after Communion
Having fed upon these heavenly delights, we pray, O Lord, so that we may always long for that food by which we truly live. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
My image of Christ. In today’s Gospel, Christ asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They respond to him mentioning various prophets that represent important aspects of his mission, but none of their answers really captures how he understands himself. He tells them that he “must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.” Christ’s self-image reflects the notions of suffering, death, and resurrection, to which Peter cannot reconcile himself. Peter’s image of Christ does not include a suffering and dying Christ. For this he is criticized harshly by Christ, even addressed as “Satan”! What is my experience of Christ? What is my perception of the identity of Christ in my daily life? Is the cross an essential aspect of my Christ image? Jesus is asking you, “Who do you say that I am?” What would be your answer?
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 20, 2019 | Agenda Biblique
Saint Pierre Damien, évêque et Docteur de l’Église
Dans la grande variété des formes de vie que prend l’imitation du Christ, Pierre Damien représente le type du saint austère, extrêmement exigeant pour lui-même et pour les autres. Né à Ravenne en 1007, il fut élevé par son frère Damien, dont il prit le nom. A vingt-huit ans, il entra à l’ermitage de Fonte Avellana. Il renonça à tout, sauf à l’art de bien écrire. Ses talents de pamphlétaire lui furent utiles pour animer la réforme du clergé, des monastères et des laïcs. Dans les diverses missions que lui confia le pape, ce moine montra la vigueur intransigeante d’un prophète. Nommé, malgré lui, cardinal-évêque et comte d’Ostie, il réussit rapidement à se faire relever de ces honneurs l’un après l’autre et redevint simple moine avant de mourir en 1072.
Vert/Blanc
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 30, 3-4
Seigneur, sois le rocher qui m’abrite, la maison bien défendue qui me sauve. Pour l’honneur de ton nom guide-moi, conduis-moi.
Prière d’ouverture
Dieu qui veut habiter les cœurs droits et sincères, donne-nous de vivre selon ta grâce, alors tu pourras venir en nous pour y faire ta demeure. Par Jésus Christ.
Première lecture : Genèse 9, 1-13
Dieu bénit Noé et ses fils. Il leur dit : « Soyez féconds, multipliez-vous, remplissez la terre. Vous serez la crainte et la terreur de tous les animaux de la terre, de tous les oiseaux du ciel, de tout ce qui va et vient sur le sol, et de tous les poissons de la mer: ils sont livrés entre vos mains. Tout ce qui va et vient, tout ce qui vit sera votre nourriture; comme je vous avais donné l’herbe verte, je vous donne tout cela. Mais, avec la chair, vous ne mangerez pas le principe de vie, c’est-à-dire le sang. Quant au sang, votre principe de vie, j’en demanderai compte à tout animal et j’en demanderai compte à tout homme ; à chacun, je demanderai compte de la vie de l’homme, son frère. Si quelqu’un verse le sang de l’homme, par l’homme son sang sera versé. Car Dieu a fait l’homme à son image. Et vous, soyez féconds, multipliez-vous, devenez très nombreux sur la terre; oui, multipliez-vous ! » Dieu dit encore à Noé et à ses fils : « Voici que moi, j’établis mon alliance avec vous, avec votre descendance après vous, et avec tous les êtres vivants qui sont avec vous: les oiseaux, le bétail, toutes les bêtes de la terre, tout ce qui est sorti de l’arche. Oui, j’établis mon alliance avec vous: aucun être de chair ne sera plus détruit par les eaux du déluge, il n’y aura plus de déluge pour ravager la terre. » Dieu dit encore : « Voici le signe de l’alliance que j’établis entre moi et vous, et avec tous les êtres vivants qui sont avec vous, pour les générations à jamais : je mets mon arc au milieu des nuages, pour qu’il soit le signe de l’alliance entre moi et la terre. »
Psaume 101 (102), 16-18, 19-21, 22-23, 29
R/ Du ciel, le Seigneur regarde la terre. (Ps 101, 20b)
- Les nations craindront le nom du Seigneur, et tous les rois de la terre, sa gloire : quand le Seigneur rebâtira Sion, quand il apparaîtra dans sa gloire, il se tournera vers la prière du spolié, il n’aura pas méprisé sa prière.
- Que cela soit écrit pour l’âge à venir, et le peuple à nouveau créé chantera son Dieu : « Des hauteurs, son sanctuaire, le Seigneur s’est penché ; du ciel, il regarde la terre pour entendre la plainte des captifs et libérer ceux qui devaient mourir.»
- On publiera dans Sion le nom du Seigneur et sa louange dans tout Jérusalem, au rassemblement des royaumes et des peuples qui viendront servir le Seigneur. Les fils de tes serviteurs trouveront un séjour, et devant toi se maintiendra leur descendance.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Tes paroles, Seigneur, sont esprit et elles sont vie. Tu as les paroles de la vie éternelle. Alléluia.
Évangile : Marc 8, 27-33
En ce temps-là, Jésus s’en alla, ainsi que ses disciples, vers les villages situés aux environs de Césarée-de-Philippe. Chemin faisant, il interrogeait ses disciples: « Au dire des gens, qui suis-je? » Ils lui répondirent : « Jean le Baptiste ; pour d’autres, Élie; pour d’autres, un des prophètes. » Et lui les interrogeait : « Et vous, que dites-vous ? Pour vous, qui suis-je ? » Pierre, prenant la parole, lui dit: «Tu es le Christ. » Alors, il leur défendit vivement de parler de lui à personne. Il commença à leur enseigner qu’il fallait que le Fils de l’homme souffre beaucoup, qu’il soit rejeté par les anciens, les grands prêtres et les scribes, qu’il soit tué, et que, trois jours après, il ressuscite. Jésus disait cette parole ouvertement. Pierre, le prenant à part, se mit à lui faire de vifs reproches. Mais Jésus se retourna et, voyant ses disciples, il interpella vivement Pierre : « Passe derrière moi, Satan! Tes pensées ne sont pas celles de Dieu, mais celles des hommes. »
Prière sur les offrandes
Que cette eucharistie, Seigneur notre Dieu, nous purifie et nous renouvelle; Qu’elle donne à ceux qui font ta volonté le bonheur que tu leur as promis. Par Jésus.
Antienne de communion : Ps 77, 29-30
Le Seigneur combla le désir de son peuple : ils mangèrent et ils furent rassasiés, leur attente ne fut pas trompée.
Prière après la communion
Tu nous as donné, Seigneur, de goûter aux joies du ciel : Fais que nous ayons toujours soif des sources de la vraie vie. Par Jésus.
Méditation
Il peut arriver dans la vie que certains proches, sous l’influence de la recherche d’un certain prestige ou d’une certaine grandeur, font écran à la volonté de Dieu sur eux-mêmes ou les autres. Suivre le Christ demande que l’on soit prêt à réorienter nos schémas mentaux ou certaines considérations existentielles au profit de celles évangéliques. Lorsque ce processus ne se concrétise pas, les dangers d’une opposition frontale à la volonté de Dieu deviennent manifestes.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 19, 2019 | Evangelium
St. Wulfric
Born in England, he became a priest and was excessively materialistic and worldly. After meeting with a beggar, he underwent a personal conversion and became a hermit at Haselbury; He then devoted himself to rigorous austerities and was known for his miracles and prophecies. Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 89: 1-2
Green
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 30: 3-4
Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me. For you are my rock, my stronghold! Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name.
Collect
O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22
At the end of forty days Noah opened the porthole he had made in the ark and he sent out the raven. This went off, and flew back and forth until the waters dried up from the earth. Then he sent out the dove, to see whether the waters were receding from the surface of the earth. The dove, finding nowhere to perch, returned to him in the ark, for there was water over the whole surface of the earth; putting out his hand he took hold of it and brought it back into the ark with him. After waiting seven more days, again he sent out the dove from the ark. In the evening, the dove came back to him and there it was with a new olive-branch in its beak. So Noah realised that the waters were receding from the earth. After waiting seven more days he sent out the dove, and now it returned to him no more. It was in the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month and on the first of the month, that the water dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the hatch of the ark and looked out. The surface of the ground was dry! Noah built an altar for the Lord, and choosing from all the clean animals and all the clean birds he offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelt the appeasing fragrance and said to himself, ‘Never again will I curse the earth because of man, because his heart contrives evil from his infancy. Never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done. ‘As long as earth lasts, sowing and reaping, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall cease no more.’
Psalm 115 (116):12-15, 18-19
R/ A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
1)How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name.
2) My vows to the Lord I will fulfill before all his people. O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.
3) My vows to the Lord I will fulfill before all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 118:105
Alleluia, alleluia!Your word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 8:22-26
Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom they begged him to touch. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, ‘I can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.’ Then he laid his hands on the man’s eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly. And Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May this oblation, O Lord, we pray, cleanse and renew us and may it become for those who do your will the source of eternal reward. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 77: 29-30
They ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them; they were not disappointed in what they craved.
Prayer after Communion
Having fed upon these heavenly delights, we pray, O Lord, so that we may always long for that food by which we truly live. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus is a healer.Every Gospel presents stories of Jesus’ healings. Even Jesus’ enemies had to acknowledge he healed, though they attributed the source of his power not to God but to Beelzebub. This healing dimension of Jesus’ ministry has great relevance to us today. It is a key to fully grasping what it means for Jesus Christ to be Saviour. Too often we limit Jesus’ saving work to his death on the cross for the atonement of sin. We don’t fully acknowledge that Jesus saves us every day by giving us the strength to be faithful disciples in situations in which we are tempted not to live the Gospel. When we go to Jesus in prayer, open our hearts and receive new energy, Jesus is saving us! Jesus is our personal Saviour. Jesus touched the blind man in today’s Gospel and the blind man saw. Jesus touches us. Though he may not remove our physical infirmities and problems, he heals us from weakness by giving us strength to live the Gospel in them.
