The Suffering of the Homeless - Model of Holiness

The central obstacle to holiness is not external things per se, but a material internal state of mind. It is what comes from the heart; cravings, passions, desire, attachments and the fear of the loss of the many things we own or want to own.

We become cleansed of a material state of mind when we are taken into the suffering of the darkness of faith or as St. John of the Cross states, “The dark night of the senses.” It is a time when we suffer intensely, when there is great loss, there appears to be no hope, we feel abandoned, alone and completely crushed. When we are cleansed in the darkness of faith, the soul feels light and arid. It produces liberty of spirit, the removal of anxiety, the installation of deep peace and a new capacity to have patience with others. We have a greater ability to absorb suffering and have an inability to explain these new behaviors to spiritual directors and others. Finally, there is a profound certainty of peace that does not need validation by others.

“Whenever Christ calls us, his call leads us to death,” Dietrich Bonheoffer, Discipleship.

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Sabbath Prayer

Lord, have mercy on the suffering.

Give food to those who are hungry;

Give clothing to those who lack;

Give shelter to those who shiver in cold;

Give love to orphans and outcast;

Give comfort to abused women;

Give redemption to the oppressed;

Give assistance to those ravaged by war.

May you teach them to grow toward you

In light of the hardships they suffer.

And to all of these may you give your gospel

That they might attain your kingdom

Where their sufferings will be exchanged

For the joy of your loving presence.

A prayer from the Anawim Homeless Christian Community, Portland, Oregon

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Confirming Adoption

“Praised be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens. God chose us in him before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ; such was his will and pleasure, that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-7)

St. Thomas Aquinas once said, “Only those who have charity are adopted sons of God.” (Suma Theologica, The Savior) The Lord confirms each of our adoptions by calling each to reach out to the poor and the homeless. May the Lord be praised that he gives us this opportunity! May we by the Lord’s grace, be filled with heroic acts of charity for the poor homeless and thereby follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, first Son that He is, and now we, the adopted sons and daughters of God.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus introduced us to a new word –Abba. Abba means “Father,” but a better rendering of Abba would be the word, “Daddy.” Everyone who ever lived on the earth has a father, but not everyone has a “Daddy.” A father is one of the people who is responsible for one’s very existence, but not every father takes the time or makes the effort to build a relationship with his offspring. Being “Daddy” and not just “Father” requires a special connection with the child. We respect our fathers, but we love our daddies! Saint Paul writes, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:4-7)

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:12-17)
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Prayer to the Merciful Father

Merciful Father
Allow us to be transformed into your mercy
And so be your living reflection.
May your mercy pass through our souls to our neighbors.
Help our eyes to be merciful
So we do not judge by appearances
But look for what is beautiful in our neighbor’s souls.
Help our ears to be merciful
So we give heed to our neighbor’s needs
Not being indifferent to their moaning’s.
Help our tongues to be merciful
So we never speak negatively of another
But have words of comfort for all.
Help our hands to be merciful
So that we do good to our neighbors
And take up ourselves the more difficult tasks.
Help our feet to be merciful
Overcoming our own weariness
Hurrying to assist our neighbors.
Help our hearts to be merciful
So we feel the sufferings of our neighbors
And refuse our hearts to no one.
May we be locked into the merciful heart of Jesus.

A prayer from the Anawim Homeless Christian Community, Portland, Oregon

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Rags to Riches

Genshiro Kawamoto (photo), one of Japan's richest men, said he plans to open eight of his 22 Kahala millionaire-row homes to needy native homeless Hawaiian families. They will be able to stay in the homes for up to 10 years, he said. Kawamoto stated he was renting (for just the cost of utilities) the homes "because the affluent people can help the least fortunate people".

Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented among the state's homeless and working poor.

Kawamoto owns dozens of office buildings in Tokyo under the name Marugen and has been buying and selling real estate in Hawaii and California since the 1980s.
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All you need is love. Love! Love is all you need.

By St. Thomas Aquinas

Since all people cannot study science, a brief law has been given by our Lord, so that it can be known by all, and no one because of ignorance can be excused from its observance; and this law is the law of Divine Love. . . The law of Divine Love produces in man four very desirable things.

First, it causes spiritual life in him, for it is clear that the one loved is naturally in the mind of the one loving, and therefore whoever loves God has God in him . . . Even the nature of love is such that it transforms the lover into the beloved. Wherefore if we love evil and earthly things, we become sinful and restless. But if we love God, we become divine, or Godlike. . . The soul operates virtuously and perfectly, when it operates through charity, by which God dwells in it, for without charity, the soul does not rightly operate . . .

Secondly, charity causes the divine commandments to be observed. Gregory says, “Never is the love of God a burden, for it does great things wherever it exists. Moreover if work is a failure, or despised, there divine love is not present. Hence, an evident sign of charity is promptitude in observing the divine commandments. For we have seen that the lover does great and difficult things for the sake of the beloved.”

The third thing which love accomplishes is that it becomes a stronghold against adversities. For to the one having charity, no adverse circumstance can injure him, but on the contrary, adversities become useful to him. . . Moreover adversities and trials become delightful to the one loving God, as we clearly see from everyday examples among us.

The fourth thing which charity does for us is that it leads us to happiness. For only to those having charity is eternal happiness promised; yea more, remembered therefore, that according to our degree of charity, will be our degree of eternal happiness; and not according to any other virtue.
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Few Pray to be Delivered from Wealth and its Dangers

Jesus asked the disciples to go out, village to village, announcing that the kingdom of God had come. He asked them to do that with only one set of clothes, one set of shoes and not to worry about food or housing, it would be provided. How many of us Americans today have two and three or more extra of everything just cluttering up our homes? Without even being a hoarder, it is likely that most of us own way more socks than one could ever wear, more jackets and sweaters than a winter season needs and way more household items than ever get used.

What’s the solution? The surplus in our homes belongs to the poor and the homeless. In fact, Jesus commanded the rich young man to "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21). Moving from the sin of possession to the virtue of contentment is a decision to live our faith, to not simply have a head-knowledge of it. A person who chooses voluntary emptiness is the vessel that is prepared to be filled with eternal riches - the wealth that does not rust or grow old, but will last forever.

There are many who pray to be delivered from poverty and its dangers, but few who pray to be delivered from wealth and its dangers. Contentment without God is an attractive temptation despite its utter impossibility. St. Augustine knew better. He prayed, "Thou hast made us for thyself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in thee."

[Jesus said,] So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6:31-33).
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Be

By Edwina Gateley

Let Your God Love You

Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.

Let your God—
Love you.

Born in Lancaster, England, Edwina Gateley's (see http://www.edwinagateley.com/) educational experiences have awarded her a Teacher's Degree from England, a Masters in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and certification as an HIV counselor in the State of Illinois. From 1981 to 1982, Edwina lived for nine months in prayer and solitude in a hermitage in Illinois. In 1983, she spent over a year on the streets of Chicago, walking with the homeless and women involved in prostitution. Within these two experiences were the seeds of her ministry that would be realized in 1983 when she founded a house of hospitality and nurturing for women involved in prostitution. Numerous groups and individuals, including the Governor of the State of Illinois, the Mayor of Chicago, the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin, and the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, have publicly commended Edwina’s work and ministry. Edwina is currently writing, leading retreats for abused and marginalized women. She is available to speak of her faith journey, and her struggles to be faithful to her call to urban ministry and mission.
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The world is a dangerous place, but not because of evil!

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 8-9
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Stuck in the mud at Easter?

By Sr Elvira Petrozzi

The Risen Jesus is the heart of the world. He gives life to the whole Universe and He is the ray of light that shines from the empty tomb on all humanity – yesterday, today and always. The Resurrection of Jesus is a special and unique event. It is the announcement of the victory of life over death, of love over sin. Easter is the feast of the Running Feet. Everyone arrives at the tomb tired, sad and disappointed... and they leave running! The Risen Christ gives us the dynamic enthusiasm to announce the victory.

Who are those Apostles today, those Peters and Johns who leave and go into the world? Who are the Magdalenes, forgiven and reconciled with God, who announce to everyone that Jesus is alive? They are us, the baptized Christians! We are the people of God who should bring the joy of Salvation to everyone. With Baptism and the other Sacraments, the world of our heart, our feelings and our human story becomes cleansed and renovated; from simple creatures we become children of God! It is an exceptional event; heaven comes down to earth to work something extraordinary in our hearts that we cannot keep to ourselves. We have to speak about it.

Too many people do not know yet that there is a Savior who came in our midst to bring us the mercy and the love of God. The world is still in the dark, troubled, full of fear, because we Christians are living for other things. We are not aware any more of the precious treasure that we have in our hands; we speak about trivialities and we give too much importance to useless things; too many worries fill our minds because we are not fulfilling our true mission on earth; our selfishness makes us sad and our fears increase. Maybe even on Easter morning our first thought will be: “Did you make the coffee? Is breakfast ready? I have such a headache this morning...” Absurdities!

We who have a vocation, in which there is close rapport with God, get stuck in the mud of the world’s selfishness. Called to the high peaks of a proclamation that liberates, we let ourselves be chained by the superficials of life. Christ is risen! He is truly risen! This is the daily experience that my eyes are contemplating, my hands are touching and my ears are hearing; the dead are raised, prisoner are freed and the blind see. The power of His Resurrection unchains us.

There are a thousand opportunities a day to give witness and to manifest what the Lord has done for us: a smile, an act of forgiveness, a hug, a service or job done with and for love. Mary Magdalene and the Apostles are our models, our gift this Easter to begin to run again, to bring everyone the good news of the Easter morning. Death does not have the last word; it was defeated by the life of Christ!

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who announce peace!” These are your feet, my feet, our feet... and so the world will experience the Resurrection!

Sister Elvira (Photo) is founder of the Cenacolo Community. This excerpt is from the book: Mother Elvira Community Cenacolo, a collection of thoughts and teachings of Sr Elvira. It is available from the Community Cenacolo book shop in Bijakovici, Medjugorje.

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