Are you feeling “ready to make a defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you? Are you ready to explain to others why you believe the Holy is alive in each one of us – yes even in times like these? Our letter from Peter today asks us to do so without putting others down. It asks us to remember that baptism and grace come freely – as an appeal for us to mature in faith. How shall we seek out the Spirit’s presence in and around us?