“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”
~ Today’s responsorial psalm, Psalm 34
Dear Friend,
Our Extraordinary Month of Mission comes to a close this week. Now it’s up to us to renew our commitment to living an Extraordinary Life of Mission! An important way to do that is the practice of charity.
Pope Francis says we accepted our gift of faith freely and we share it freely, excluding no one. God wills that all people receive the gift of salvation by experiencing His Love through the practice of charity: caring for the most vulnerable, practicing kindness, and forgiving so that we may be forgiven.
The prayer I go to as a reminder of my own call to mission is from St. Teresa of Ávila whose writings on the care of the soul are masterpieces:
Christ has no body now but yours,
no hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
I hope the experiences you have had these past four weeks of extraordinary mission are just the beginning of a deeper, more profound faith. With charity guiding our hands and feet, I believe the best is yet to come.
Prayer for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Take my hands, Lord, to do Your Will
by helping those in need.
Take my voice, Lord, to praise Your name
even when things look bleak.
Take my thoughts, Lord, to imagine
the world as You would have it:
where love, justice and peace
heal all wounds and mend all
broken hearts.
Take my past and use it as you will.
Take my present as a gift in progress.
And take my future as a pledge
to love, honor and serve You
through those around me.
Lord, I know where love is
there You are. Through my acts of charity
help others see, recognize, and believe
in Your merciful love.
Amen.
~ Father Joseph R. Veneroso, M.M.
This is Father Ray Finch saying thank you for taking your journey of faith with me today. Until next time, you are always in my prayers.
