Living Our Lenten Promises Throughout the Year

Today I found myself wondering, “why are fasting, praying, and giving alms (helping the poor) so important to Lent? And why do we only do it once a year?”

I’m sure most of us have thought about this question at one point or another.

Lent is a special time to offer up our actions to Christ so that we may not only be able to rise with him on Easter, but also so that we develop the strength and discipline to carry out our Lenten promises throughout the year.

The truth is that fasting, prayer, and helping the poor isn’t to be confined only to Lent. As Easter draws near and Lent comes to an end, we need to remember to carry out our Lenten promises throughout the year.

Praying for others and helping the poor are things that we are obligated to do as imitators of Christ throughout the year not just during Lent.  

"The development of each person, the honoring of his or her rights and the common good of all the human family are the responsibility of each and all. Each person is an heir of previous generations and the beneficiary of contemporaries." (from “Catholic Social Teaching: Our Best Kept Secret”)

I think it’s incredibly unique that serving others is literally part of our religion.

We cannot truly call ourselves “Catholic” if we are not living our Lenten promises year round.

1 John 3:17-18 says, “If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” 

By: Savannah Olshove, Intern

Poverty and Action

I have been reading "Think and Act Anew: How Poverty in America Affects Us All and What We Can Do about It" by Larry Snyder, and it made me really curious about poverty in Virginia. I often think of poverty as a third world country, and I forget that it's happening in our own backyard. Over 40 million Americans live in poverty. According to the research by the Department of Social Services, in Virginia alone, there are over 750,000 people living in poverty including over 250,000 children. 1 in 10 Virginians lived below the federal poverty line in 2008, and Virginia's poverty rate has not decreased in the past 30 years. Recent research has shown that it will continue to increase, unless something is done about it.

In Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), he says, "Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law (cf. Mt 22:36- 40). It gives real substance to the personal relationship with God and with neighbor; it is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones). For the Church, instructed by the Gospel, charity is everything because, as Saint John teaches (cf. 1 Jn 4:8, 16) and as I recalled in my first Encyclical letter, “God is love” everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by it, everything is directed towards it. Love is God's greatest gift to humanity, it is his promise and our hope."

I know a lot of people are probably reading this thinking, "well all of the people that are living in poverty in my state are poor because they are just looking for a free handout, and are too lazy to get a job." In certain cases, this statement can be true, but there are currently 27 kids at the local homeless shelter in my hometown. Do you think those kids are looking for a free handout? I mean, what kid wants to be living at a homeless shelter over Thanksgiving? I'd want to be at home with my parents baking cookies, and watching holiday movies.

I don't know what it's like to live in poverty, but I see it every day in my own neighborhood. Nelson Mendela said, “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

As Christians and Catholics we are morally obliged to recognize poverty in our communities, and to see everyone as if they were Jesus in disguise. Pope Benedict said, "The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them."

By: Savannah Olshove

Faith Alone

As Christians we know that we are saved by our faith alone, but because of this many people believe that all you have to do is go to church once a week to call yourself a Christian. However, as Christians we are called to do much more than that. Unfortunately this "slogan" of being saved "by faith alone" has made us lazy. I really don't like that phrase. It's like saying, "I don't have to put effort into my work because I am smart." Or, "my garden will flourish because I planted it, in good soil." Because of this mentality, there are many Catholics today, who only go to Mass once a week, and check it off their "Heaven Points" list.

Being a Catholic is so much more then, just going to Mass. A synonym for the word "Catholic" is universal. We are the universal church. Our church is for everyone. Meaning, every person we meet is part of our church, whether or not they go to Mass, or are even Christian. They are still our brothers and sisters under God.

Unfortunately, many of our brothers and sisters live in negative environments. Whether they live across the ocean, and face genocide, war, and extreme poverty daily, or across the street and are dealing with alcoholism, drug abuse, and violence. These people are still part of our universal church; they are part of our family.

As Catholics we are called much more then to go to Mass once a week, we are called to help others in need. Luke 4:16-19 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and that the time has come when the Lord will set free his people."

Even though Jesus is no longer physically on Earth with us, he still wants us to carry out his work, by helping the poor, set free the captives of poverty, slavery, and social discrimination; and to help other Catholics, get involved in being the hands and feet of Jesus.

What I'm trying to say is, just going to Mass once a week doesn't cut it. There are no loop holes in Catholicism. To be Catholic you need to not only be in a constant state of prayer and faith, but also be an advocate of justice and peace. As his Holiness Pope Francis said after visiting the slums in Rio De Janerio, "I would like to make an appeal to those in possession of greater resources, to public authorities and to all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by greater solidarity! No one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that persist in the world!  Everybody, according to his or her particular opportunities and responsibilities, should be able to make a personal contribution to putting an end to so many social injustices.  The culture of selfishness and individualism that often prevails in our society is not what builds up and leads to a more habitable world: it is the culture of solidarity that does so, seeing others not as rivals or statistics, but brothers and sisters."

By Savannah Olshove, Intern at the Office of Social Ministry

Living Our Faith- Outside of the Pew

Being Christians as we all know requires more than sitting in a Pew on Sundays. If we want to be close to God and live our lives in relationship and communion with him then a little more is required than passive attention. We have opportunities to grow closer to Him all the time, to celebrate the sacraments, attend liturgy, study scripture and take classes to learn about the most important and loving being in our lives. We also have to try to imitate Jesus and live His way every minute of our lives. That means at home, at school, at work, at the grocery store, in our neighborhoods and communities, and in our parishes. Understanding “Catholic Social Teaching” can help us to do that. We must reach out to those in need, even when it inconveniences us. We must honor the dignity of our families, co-workers, classmates and neighbors. We must love them with a self- sacrificing love, recognizing that they are made in God’s image and that whatever we do to them we do to Him. Easier said than done?? Tomorrow at work or at school think of the Creator of the Universe and unite your work to His work of creating and caring for all of the things and people on earth.  When you are eating a meal with your family remember those without food and thank God that you are able to feed the hungry at home, talk with your family about a plan to help those in need of food and shelter. Treat the checkout clerk at the grocery store the way you would treat Christ, He is in them. Every moment, in every situation we have a choice to live out our faith  and do things as Christ would since we are his followers, or to do things our own way and reserve thinking about or living our faith to Sunday mornings. It is a lifestyle not an extracurricular activity. We are Christians everywhere and at all times and living the Christian life can be difficult. That is why we have a Christian community to help us along the way as well as social teaching to help us apply biblical principals to our everyday lives.

The 2013 Fuel and Hunger Fund

The Fuel and Hunger Fund, administered by the Office of Justice and Peace, supports Catholic outreach and ministry programs serving people in need - children, single adults, families, and the elderly - in communities across the Diocese.  Funds provide meals and groceries and help people with heating, rent or shelter.  

Last year, Fuel and Hunger funds helped Catholic parishes, organizations, and their community partners serve more than 55,000 families and over 170,000 individuals in our Diocese who were in need of assistance. This year, the Office of Justice and Peace has provided 63 grants, totaling just over $170,000, thanks to the generous support of the Annual Diocesan Appeal by Catholic parishioners across the Diocese.

Ms. Brenda Orie is the Director of Social Ministries at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Newport News and runs St. Vincent’s Social Action Center, one of this year's Fuel and Hunger Grantees, with the support of countless volunteers from the parish and from the community. Ms. Orie came to work at the Center 13 years ago after 35 years in management at the shipyard in Newport News. “Although I had been a parishioner for 50 some years, I had no idea how many people in our community were in need.” Ms. Orie said.

The Social Action Center provides meals to over 100 people in need everyd day, Monday - Friday. “We serve many homeless people,” said Ms. Orie, “but not everyone we serve is homeless. We get people who have been released from prison and come to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs, we get people who have lost a job due to the economy and are unable to pay rent and buy food and clothes. Many people have fallen on hard times and just need a little help. Regardless of the situation a person is in, they still need our help. We are not here to judge; we are here to help.”

13 years ago when Ms. Orie took on the roll of organizing and running the Center, there was an active food pantry and daily feeding program. Over the years, the Social Action Center has developed additional services like their clothing closet and their job coaching program for people returning from periods of incarceration. The Center provides bus passes to individuals who do not have transportation to a doctor’s appointment or to the department of Social Services, and financial assistance for people in danger of being evicted or having a utility disconnected. Every year, St. Vincent’s also organizes a Downtown Christmas Party, typically held the Saturday before Christmas, for between 500 and 600 people who would otherwise receive no gift on Christmas morning. “When we see a need, we try to respond,” says Ms. Orie, “we stay very busy, but that’s what it’s all about – helping people in need.”

Although the Social Action Center is sponsored by St. Vincent’s in Newport News, it takes the efforts of countless volunteers to come together and make the programs work. Volunteers come from St. Vincent’s, from other area congregations, and from other civic groups who hear what the Social Action Center is doing and want to be a part of it. Even sailors from the nearby Navy ships stop in to help every Tuesday. “People come from all walks of life and they seem to enjoy helping – it’s been a blessing; without the volunteers, we could never be able to do what we do” said Ms. Orie. “No one Church can do all of this by themselves – it takes people coming together, people banding together to make helping others happen. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who makes the Fuel and Hunger Fund possible. Everything that we get is a help – when you’re feeding over 100 people a day, it takes a lot.”

It’s fitting that a parish with the name St. Vincent de Paul has such an active Social Ministry - St. Vincent is the patron of charitable activity, as well as of our Diocese. St. Vincent said "Let’s give ourselves to God, then, once and for all, let’s work, let’s work, let’s go to the assistance of the poor... who are waiting for us."

When we go out and talk to the people who run efforts like the one at St. Vincent’s, we can’t help but be amazed at the scope of the work being done, and the inventive ways that our parishioners, parishes and Catholic Charities’ agencies give themselves to God by going to the assistance of people who are poor.

Jay Brown

(a version of this article appears in the upcoming issue of the Catholic Virginian)

Respect for Life After Birth

“Babies are a gift from God!” We’ve all heard that. They are sweet, gentle, beautiful, intelligent, strong, and soft and cuddly. They smell good (most of the time) and their laughter is one of the best sounds in the world. I love babies! I’ve been blessed with 5 of them and each of their births has been an experience of God for me. But babies are also dependent on others, and because of this they are vulnerable, and our Church reminds us today -- on Respect Life Sunday --that babies need protecting in the womb, just to make it into this big world.

The Church also reminds us today that babies grow up. Some grow up in loving families and stable homes, with a supportive father and mother leading the way and a savings account waiting for them when they’re older. Other babies grow up in homes where they are abused, or in homes where there isn’t enough money to pay for food, rent, and utilities, or sometimes they might not even know who their father is. Sometimes their home is a car. Some babies grow up to be hardworking doctors and nurses and teachers and scientists and engineers.  But some babies grow up as women who find themselves in a violent marriage, or as young men who struggle with mental illness and go on shooting rampages. Or they grow up to be imprisoned or even executed, like an inmate at Greensville Correctional Center named Robert Gleason was on Wednesday night. “Respect Life” is about all kinds of grown-up babies, too.

What the Church teaches us is this: every life is sacred and every life deserves dignity -- no matter what. Our bishops have written: “our witness to respect for life shines most brightly when we demand respect for each and every human life including the lives of those who fail to show that respect for others. The antidote to violence is love, not more violence.” (USCCB, Living the Gospel of Life, no. 22, 1998.)

I recently saw the musical Les Miserables. Cried my eyes out! We might ask ourselves, in light of Respect Life, are we going to live like Inspector Javert, who relentlessly pursues Jean Valjean to condemn him? Are we going to represent the Gospel from a place of condemnation? Or are we going to be like the Bishop, who shows Valjean forgiveness and mercy when he is caught stealing his silver? The Bishop gives him a new lease on life, and Valjean and his life are transformed by the redeeming love of Christ.

         Today’s Second Collection will fund the Diocesan Respect Life Fund, which supports grants for activities sponsored by local parishes to protect and promote the sanctity and dignity of human life from conception to natural death. These activities have been geared towards direct services, education, and advocacy to alleviate or end threats to human life at stages the Church considers to be most vulnerable.

As we reflect about what Respect Life Sunday is all about, remember this: our Church reminds us that respect for life begins in the womb and it must be given to every human being at every stage of his or her development.

By: Jennifer Snyder of St. Edwards the Confessor Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

For When I am Weak, Then I am Strong

“For when I am weak, then I am strong. “ – 2 Cor 12:10

When we first moved to Kenya in 2003 I remember a Maryknoll priest once telling me that our failures and inadequacies are perhaps the greatest gift we have to offer. He spoke about how meaningful it can be to others, who are often grappling with poverty, illness, lack of education and sometimes a sense of inadequacy, to be able to help where we struggle and fail. I have experienced that in a new way recently. My work in the prison sometimes seems stalled. Too often prisoners are simply asking me to visit the court on their behalf, to check the status of their case or go to see their families, and while the latter can be pretty rewarding experiences, the former is often a bit dull. Both are often time consuming and yield little results. It seemingly requires little skill on my behalf and the one skill it often does require, language, is something that often leaves me feeling inadequate. With that in mind I recently asked Dismas, a former prisoner whom I’ve written about before, to follow up on some of the cases at the courthouse. In return I offer him a modest fee for helping me. When we recently met to discuss some cases he followed up on, it revealed a lot to me. As we concluded our conversation he mentioned that this news would make the prisoners so very happy. This was a good reminder for me because often the news is uninformative and reveals little new progress in their cases. But Dismas was right. He reminded me that the very fact that someone cares enough to follow-up on their behalf is enough to make a prisoner feel cared for. Their dignity has been acknowledged. Dismas reminded me that, years ago, when I did some of those simple things for him, it gave him hope. And the greatest part is that while he shared his findings and explained some of the legal matters that I did not understand, I noticed in him a sense of joy and fulfillment. His eyes shone bright – he had been given the opportunity to do what he so desires – to help prisoners who are in similar circumstances that he once was. My weakness and willingness to turn to him for help turns out to be an asset in my ministry- giving Dismas meaningful work and meeting the needs of the prisoners in an often more substantial way.

 

Written by: Curt Klueg, Maryknoll Lay Missioner, Mombassa, Kenya