February 22, 2010: Missions of Love
By the time you read this, I will be on a one week Medical Mission in Honduras. I went last year and was moved deeply. In some ways, I have had the great opportunity and joy to spend a week every year on a Mission of Love with the poorest of poor.
Some of those weeks have been in Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba, Africa, and right here in Florida with the mentally and physically challenged just yards from my home. These weeks allow me to be a STEWARD OF A WEEK and recharge my batteries.
Mark Woods, the Metro Columnist from the Times Union is in Haiti on an assignment. He once wrote about some of my encounters in Haiti and how I invited my 8th graders to write poems and songs about the pictures I took in Haiti with the poorest of poor. The young teenagers discovered that they can spiritually be in solidarity with the poor even if they can’t go physically. And now, Mark is there…and as I knew he would…he is open to receiving the gifts from the poorest of poor….FAITH.
Let’s take a journey to Haiti! Check out his story and pictures:
This link is how Mark took in the Ash Wednesday experience. He is Methodist, but he truly bridges the gap between us Christians who somehow lose our way to each other and true worship of our Wonderful and Beloved God. Love, compassion, joy, suffering, faith, hope, tragedy and ashes always bring us together. Jesus is all that and more.
Lent is an opportunity to go on a mission of Love. We were all in the womb about 40 weeks. Lent is an opportunity to journey for 40 days, not including Sundays, into a Mission of Love. Lent is a sacred time that can bring the poor and the rich back to their senses. Lent is a 40 day all out Mission of Love in which we cry out like Jesus at the beginning of his Mission of Love:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the Poor! God sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Luke 4:14-21)
One week with the poor in Haiti, Honduras, Downtown Jacksonville, Faith and Sharing, or a slum might just very well be what proclaiming a year acceptable to our Beloved God all is about! A day becomes a week. A week becomes a month. A year becomes a lifetime!
Jesus proclaims, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing!”
Love, joy, peace,
Father Ron
