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"Salt of The Earth, |
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February, 2011 Dear friends, At the St. Angela Parish School on the West Side of Chicago, farther back than I care to mention but I might as well admit that I turned 60 in January, the religion class text book contained the formula for calculating the date of Easter: the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the 21st of March. So this year the movements of the heavenly bodies have lined up a date for the celebration of Easter about as late as it can be – April 24th. As I write this newsletter, Boston is getting ready for another foot of snow and the springtime (at least in the northern hemisphere as it will be the Fall at the mission sites) feast feels very far away. But with Ash Wednesday not coming until March 9th, there’s over a month to meditate on the Sermon on the Mount during our Sunday liturgies in Ordinary Time. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 – 7:29) is the first of five sermons, or instructive discourses, found in Matthew’s Gospel. It presents Jesus as a teacher, instructing the people on the spiritual and ethical qualities, along with a total trust in God that are a part of the new way that He is proclaiming. The contents of the Sermon are considered over the weeks from the end of January through the first week of March. Its wisdom is for all people and is especially inspiring for the missionary. The Lord states that we are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. As salt we must preserve all that is good, even giving flavor to life. As light our lives must shine in the darkness of sin. In that way people will come to know the Heavenly Father. And with this introduction Jesus deepens the meaning of the ethical standards of the First Covenant, giving examples of violence, unfaithfulness and deception. With His comment on “an eye for an eye,” He presents one of the greatest challenges of His way: Love your enemies and pray for them. This is necessary for we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. The run up to Lent ends with the encouragement to have a deep abiding confidence in our God who loves us. “Consider the lilies of the field.” If God cares for the flowers that bloom and wilt so quickly, how much more does God care for us? The missionaries must be the “salt of the earth.” They go to work in areas where the popular religious culture is centuries old, even though there is not an established community of faith. Working within these cultural parameters, the missionary builds on this base, bringing the light of the Gospel to areas of grinding poverty. Given the consequences of this poverty, the missionary confronts situations of violence, degradation and humiliation with the message of Jesus, calling all to the perfection of our Father in heaven. Needless to say, the missionary abides in trust. The God who sends will always accompany. In these days of liturgical meditation on the Sermon on the Mount, let us also reflect on some words from Fr. John Molloy, who ministers in the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, Ecuador. “Next month I will be one year living and working here in the Parroquia El Bautismo de Jesus, Monte Sinai, on the outskirts of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. And what a great year it has been! After my parents and I, colleagues and friends were welcomed on Clark Street, Boston, we celebrated a Mass led by Cardinal Seán and off I went to begin mission to the poorest of the poor. My friend and colleague from our Diocese of Killaloe, Fr. Colm Hogan, would be with me for the first two months. After May I was on my own. It was all gradual. As time passes I saw and still see myself watching, listening and being present to the people here daily. As the months passed too, the heat, dust, language and culture all take getting used to. But, as I was told often by wise ones in the Society, 'patience and time' are the ways forward! After almost five months some welcome visitors arrived. Fr. Malachy Murphy, Armagh Diocese, Keady Parish and friend of many years visited for three weeks. Impressions like dignity, strength in poverty and hope are what Malachy remembers. November saw our Director, Fr. Kevin Hays and Fr. Pat Universal make a pastoral visit. Included in other thoughts they were pleased to see the development of the parish, especially facilities for the young. Our newly developed sports park and continuing school development were noted as being progressive. After a welcomed Spiritual Retreat in November in Ayangue by the beautiful Ecuadorian Coast I was ready again for the most welcomed visitors in my life, namely my parents. After a safe flight via Madrid, they arrived the last day of November for a six-week stay. First impressions do last! Dad will never forget the dust, or the heat but every day more importantly the welcoming parishioners made their stay so memorable that they plan a return! My father, a carpenter, continued work on our smaller church, St. Teresa, and helped out with many a maintenance job in the parish. He had plenty of help from the neighbors who made him feel at home with lots of conversations in Spanish! We had Confirmation, First Holy Communions and Christmas celebrations while they were here. After that we needed a break so we headed to Lima for Christmas and the welcome again as usual in the Barranco Center House was second to none. We enjoyed many conversations with members of the Society younger and older. We visited Cusco and headed to Macchu Picchu and felt on top of the world in the Andes. We celebrated New Year in the Ate, Chosica parish of the Resurrected One with Frs. David, Derek and Tom. On return to Monte Sinai, the week before their departure was spent being with my new friends here and enjoying the way of life that puts 'hope' above the difficult situations of people’s lives. I had a call over a week ago from an Irish family telling me of their son’s admittance to the hospital there. Jan, from Waterford and his girlfriend Bernie from Clare were on holidays when Jan took ill. Jan has an abscess on his brain possibly caused by a parasite but awaiting final diagnosis. Why I mention this is that we never know from day to day what is to happen. People are sent in and out of our lives. We missionaries have such a good opportunity with St. James to do good, working where we are living and to do so much good for others. To 'live' the preaching and 'live' the sermon is real for us in the mission field. As the newest member of the Society I awake each day to a new and vibrant and positive life here with the poor. Today is the most important day in life! That’s my huge learning from the people here. The present is 'now' as I see they may have a little work or job today but not tomorrow. They may have a little money for water or food today but not tomorrow. We then, very present with them, offer new hope, opportunities, our care and devotion while we help build up a new parish and then move on. We, as missionaries, cause change to happen and it is good to be here. I visited a family of four children here the other evening. The children in this family have no schooling because the father has no job; they have no money or benefits or drinking water. But they have hope. I felt changed after that visit. The Society of St. James, providence and hope led me here. I am very grateful to my Diocese of Killaloe back in the West of Ireland and the St. James Society for this most positive life-changing experience in life. Gracias a Dios (Thanks to God) as the people say here!” “If God so clothes the grass in the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6: 30.” Jesus teaches us to have an abiding hope in our loving God. Each missionary goes with the confident trust that he does not go alone. Our loving God walks with him. Sincerely, Rev. Kevin Hays
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