MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION week of July 19, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.


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. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)




On Sunday (Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B) we read from the Gospel of Mark that Jesus is concerned for those who are following him. He challenges his disciples to rest after their long journey; he responds to those who have been seeking him for healing and connection.

In Catholic Charities we can find much encouragement in Pope Benedict's new Encyclical Letter, Caritas In Veritate. He writes about the importance of our work on behalf of the Church: "Love - caritas - is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth. . . . Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law. It gives real substance to the personal relationship with God and with neighbour; it is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic, and political ones). For the Church, instructed by the Gospel, charity is everything because as Saint John teaches (cf 1 Jn 4:8, 16) and as I recalled in my first Encyclical Letter, "God is Love:" everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by it, everything is directed towards it. Love is God's greatest gift to humanity, it is His promise and our hope." (Caritas in Veritate, par 1 and 2).

N.B. Note: Please consider joining our new Twitter account, CCDOY, for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

Some important date(s) this week:


Visit our website at ccdoy.org for updated information on the Voice of Hope Award recipients and for links to Summer 2009 Charities Newsletter.



Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis


July 18-19, 2009 – Did you know that people who lose their jobs often go through a grief process similar to that of other traumatic life experiences? If you or someone you know is having a difficult time coping with the emotions surrounding job loss and transition, contact the Catholic Charities agency nearest you.



PAPAL INTENTIONS:



JULY 2008
General:
That there may be an increase in the number of those who volunteer to serve the Christian community with generous and prompt availability
Mission:
That World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, may kindle the fire of divine love in numerous young people and render them sowers of hope for a new humanity




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/