MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION, Week of October 19, 2008

VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: To provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Committed to work to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality


On Sunday (29th Ordinary Time Sunday Cycle A) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about how Jesus turned a trap into a moment of transformation. The leaders of the time wanted Jesus to declare whether he was opposed to the Roman regime by rejecting the tax, or a collaborator with the Romans if he endorsed the tax. Jesus does not fall for it; rather, he states that what is owed to each is due to each. But the transformative insight is that we may owe things to political leaders or others, but more importantly we owe God everything. The point: we are called to live authentic Christian lives in all we say and do.

At Catholic Charities, we are sometimes called upon to declare whether we are "sectarian" or "secular" agencies, in order to justify someone's political nomenclature. This is a false distinction. Catholic Charities is the arm of the Church, using various forms of resources, in order to reach out in the Church's name to help organize and provide for the corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the prisoner..... We provide direct relief and advocate for social change in the Church's name. We may provide social services in a similar fashion as other non religious groups, but we Catholic Charities remains the face of the Church to those who come for aid. By seeing the face of Christ in each person we serve, we "are" faith-based organization. Hopefully, those who use our services see Christ in our face as we serve/work with them. In this way, we are the Church in action.


NOVEMBER 4, 2008: ELECTION DAY.....read US Catholic Bishops' statement on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship


Some important date(s) this week:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20. St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin If anyone knew rejection, ridicule and disappointment, it was today’s saint. But such trials only brought Maria Bertilla Boscardin closer to God and more determined to serve him. Born in Italy in 1888, the young girl lived in fear of her father, a violent man prone to jealousy and drunkenness. Her schooling was limited so that she could spend more time helping at home and working in the fields. She showed few talents and was often the butt of jokes. In 1904 she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy and was assigned to work in the kitchen, bakery and laundry. After some time Maria received nurses’ training and began working in a hospital with children suffering from diphtheria. There the young nun seemed to find her true vocation: nursing very ill and disturbed children. Later, when the hospital was taken over by the military in World War I, Sister Maria Bertilla fearlessly cared for patients amidst the threat of constant air raids and bombings. She died in 1922 after suffering for many years from a painful tumor. Some of the patients she had nursed many years before were present at her canonization in 1961.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24. Voice of Hope dinner. Bishop George V. Murry, S.J. will host the 11th Annual Voice of Hope Dinner Friday October 24, 2008 at Ciminero's Banquet Center in Niles, Ohio. Throughout the evening we will honor Drs. James and Cynthia Kravec, Blessed Sacrament, Warren, Kent State University Catholic Student Organization and Msgr. John Zuraw for their efforts to further the mission of Catholic Charities. The keynote address will be provided by Fr. Clarence Williams


PAPAL INTENTIONS:

OCTOBER 2008
General:
That the Synod of Bishops may help bishops and theologians as well as catechists and pastoral workers engaged in the service of the Word of God transmit with courage the truth of the faith in communion with the entire Church.
Mission:
That in this month dedicated to the missions, through the promotional activities of the Pontifical Missionary Works and other organisms, the Christian may feel the need to participate in the Church’s universal mission with prayer, sacrifice and concrete help.

Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead


See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.

For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/