Lament, Repent, Repair
Feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for our common home are echoes of the prophets and psalms as we enter Lent. Where did I see the invitation today? On the roadside fence at Assisi Heights “Feed the Hungry”. Driving on Broadway, near Civic Center Drive, I was moved by the term “Welcome”. How have I welcomed others in this community, our common home? How am I caring for our Common Home so we can all experience its beauty, life and abundance? I have conversion to seek this Lent, in prayer, conversation with the Creator God and the Word made flesh who seeks to lovingly accompany me! Ecological conversion integrates the social and environmental aspects of our life in the human family, in harmony with all the creatures and systems that sustain our collective life.
We are a “Welcoming Catholic Community” set in a larger community of diverse cultures, many immigrants. How have I welcomed those who have come here to find a new “home”? Acts of charity are steps of generosity which open me up to compassion and mercy in the face of my neighbors’ hardships and suffering. I have discovered that as these relationships deepen and broaden, so do my connections, compassion, and courage. Do my neighbors know who they can call on in times of need? Do I hunger for justice with dignity as much as my neighbors hunger for food and safety? I seek grounding in my faith to repair broken or absent relationships.
Jesus wants to welcome us into community with all those who suffer, sisters and brothers, local and global, human and creatures. From the Parable of the Good Samaritan, how will I be “neighbor” to those who are “wounded and incapacitated”? This describes so many in our communities- our families, parish family, neighbors - whose lives have been disrupted by a disposable culture of violence, who have lost hope, who are struggling and alone. Am I walking by on the other side of the road, feeling untouched, removed, too busy?
Being “neighbor” implies community. Created as social beings, none of us can care or be cared for alone. Together we turn in trust to our God, who accompanies us all, in this mission of love.
Together we respond through grace, with compassion, gifts, and mercy, grounded in our Faith. Together we help heal relationships that have been broken. Together we stand with others so they do not feel alone. Together we accompany neighbors in the real needs of their lives, the reality of loss, the fear in children, the risk of going to and from your job, or even leaving your home, particularly for people of color.
Our Catholic faith grounds and guides us. Where is life and human dignity at risk? How are the dignity of work and workers being assaulted? How do I choose to stand with those who are most at risk, acknowledging that we all have rights and responsibilities? How does my responsibility call me to uphold the value of each person, as God’s child, in my family (blood and spiritual) and our greater community? How do I participate in just governance for our common good by addressing unjust systems? How do I “Love my neighbor…”?
Several parishioners offer insights:
Frank suggests, “The work of Catholic Social Teaching is bringing this love for neighbor into action. It involves the well-being of all our neighbors… The causes and consequences of injustice and suffering can feel overwhelming. I need to channel my efforts into my world, a much smaller ‘sphere of influence’ – my family my community, and my parish. There are many small opportunities in my sphere of influence. …I can show up for someone in need, or a group that needs my help and love. ‘What you do for the least of these…?’”
Amy offers, “... I considered people who have no choice in their fasting, their decisions to give up luxuries (or even necessities), and those suffering at home before Lent began. It also helped highlight the ways we are called as Catholics to take active steps to address both the symptoms and causes of poverty and deprivation in our community.
Tammy reflected how dialogue about poverty in small groups, with varied experiences has been enlightening, educational, and thought provoking as seen through other eyes.
We can share in the nonviolent way of the prophets and peacemakers before us by living our actions for justice on behalf of our neighbors, and all creation, here at home and around the world!
Bishop Chairmen Call for Ecological Conversion This Lent Ecological conversion for Lent
The USCCB Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace issued a joint reflection for Lent on ecological conversion. Archbishop Shelton Fabre and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan write, “This Lent is an opportunity for discernment and action. May we quiet our hearts and enter the solitude of the desert, that we might hear the voice of God and listen to the cries of his children around the world whose livelihoods are impacted by our own actions and lifestyles.”