“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9-10)

John Paul II answers this question, posed by Cain at the dawn of time, in his 1995 letter to the faithful, The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae).  “Yes, every man is his ‘brother’s keeper’, because God entrusts us to one another.”   This concept is countercultural today when we live in a society consumed with individual rights.  As Christians, we are called to live to a higher standard, a standard that compels us to seek solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need while working always for the common good.

We don’t have to look all that far to find the “suffering Jesus” . . . he can be found in the face of a hungry child, in the face of a woman dying alone in a nursing home, in the face of man stripped of his dignity and begging for change on a street corner.  And when we find him, what will be our response?  We are called to love both our neighbors and our enemies.  Pope Benedict XVI tells us that “to love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to secure it.”

If you are truly your brother’s keeper, how are you going to put your love for him into action today?

“The just man has a care for the rights of the poor; the wicked man has no such concern.” (Proverbs 29:7)

These past few weeks, Catholic Charities leaders from around the country have been pleading on behalf of the poor and vulnerable – those without work, those without homes, those without food and those without hope – as bitter battles rage in Washington D.C. and state capitals around the country.  Our elected officials are engaged in passionate debate as they try to put our country’s financial affairs in order. 

The needs of our country are great.  Issues of national security, rising debt, world market instability, soaring costs, and a thousand more vie for attention.  No one questions that the stakes are high and that painful cuts will need to be made.  Many voices are being raised, but our concern is that the voice of the least of our brothers and sisters will not be heard.  There are no lobbyists or unions to speak for them.  They don’t have the financial resources or political capital necessary to participate in a meaningful way.  But we do!

Our God is very explicit on what he expects of his followers.  We are to be the voice, the advocate, for our brothers and sisters.  We are to put their needs before our own.  On the last day, we will be judged on how well we fulfilled this specific mission.  How well are you doing?  Today, make a difference.  Lift your voice on behalf of those entrusted to our care.  Visit https://www.catholiccharitiesks.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=500 or www.catholiccharitiesusa.org to learn more about the issues; then visit www.senate.gov and www.house.gov to be an advocate for the poor. 

“Though the grass withers and the flower wilts the word of our God stands forever.”  (Isaiah 40:8)

This reading from the prophet Isaiah reminds us that nothing in this world lasts.  There is a cycle to life; old things pass away and new things come into being.  In our society today, the rapid changes in technology actually foster the discarding of the old and the embracing of the new, perhaps too much so.  We must always respect that the things that are passing away are of value; they had a purpose and served us well.  It is appropriate to honor the people and processes and institutions that have gone before us, and mourn their loss.

But we must also continually be looking forward with our eyes firmly focused on our mission.  For Catholic Charities, that mission is to stabilize and strengthen families through our loving actions.  To succeed, we must have the courage to let go of the old and familiar and embrace the new and challenging – at all times staying grounded in the Word, Jesus Christ. 

“The Lord has done great things for us; oh, how happy we are!”  (Psalms 126:3)

Another year is coming to an end and we are eager for the New Year. But first, we pause and give thanks, for truly God had been good to us, allowing us to be His hands and feet, in providing necessary help and unconditional love to thousands of His children this past year.

Too often people look to Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and want to give us credit for the “good work” that we do. But in truth, it is God who does great things through us – through the unbounded generosity of people in our communities, through the tireless efforts of individual staff and volunteers, through the perseverance of our brothers and sisters in need who refuse to give up hope that there are better days ahead.

In a country consumed with individualism, we can look back on this past year and realize that nothing is accomplished alone. It is through community, collaboration and commitment to a common good that all great things are accomplished. As the season of Christmas draws to a close, let us each take a moment to ponder the great things that the Lord has done for us; let us rejoice and be glad. Now . . . on to the New Year!

“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

At our chapel service this week, we were led in a meditation on autumn, my favorite season of the year.  It is a time of year when the Earth seems to slow down as she prepares for the coming winter.  It is a time for celebrating the year’s good work and the harvest just past.  It is a time for shedding things that we no longer need and storing up the things that are most important for the long dark days ahead.

Here at Catholic Charities, we too are celebrating the good work of this past year.  The many thousands helped, the many lives touched, the souls that have been healed.  As part of a process of strategic visioning, we have been reflecting on the most important things, planning for the days and years ahead.  Part of that process will also require “shedding”, letting go of some good things because they are holding us back from great things.  It is the shedding and letting go that is hard.  It takes us out of our comfort zone, stripping away the familiar.  But it also creates the space for new life; for new ideas to form and take root . . . ideas that will have their time when the spring comes.