Singing while they work!
Our young people are ever so resilient even in the midst of all the suffering they can still while they work! You gotta love it!
Little things, Little signs reveal God’s faithfulness!
Today is the feast of St. Thérèse, the Little Flower. The heart of Thérèse’s spirituality was what she called the “little way.” As she wrote to a friend, Sometimes, when I read spiritual treatises in which perfection is shown with a thousand obstacles, surrounded by a crowd of illusions, my poor little mind quickly tires. I close the learned book which is breaking my head and drying up my heart, and I take up Holy Scripture. Then all seems luminous to me; a single word uncovers for my soul infinite horizons; perfection seems simple; I see that it is enough to recognize one’s nothingness and to abandon oneself, like a child, into God’s arms. Leaving to great souls, to great minds, the beautiful books I cannot understand, I rejoice to be little because only children, and those who are like them, will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.
Therese was simple and spoke of the Way of Love. She herself preferred to be faithful in “little things”-–every day opportunities for patience, humility, and kindness. In this way, she could count on Christ’s love for her to enable her to achieve holiness. At the same time, Thérèse had a great soul and was conscious of the world outside her convent. She felt a deep call to support the missionary activity of the church with her daily prayer and life of quiet fidelity.
The situation in Haiti is very difficult for our people, and yet the Word of God keeps assuring us that He is with us and shall lead and guide us. We need to put our trust in God and keep praying that the violence will stop. Yesterday, God gave us a little sign, a rainbow after a big storm. As we gathered with the teens, we recalled the scripture passages of God’s faithfulness to us and once again placed Haiti into God’s loving care.
Preparing parents/guardians and children for the Sacraments
On Saturday, September 28, even the midst of demonstrations and the current situation in Haiti, our children and their parents/guardians met for an important meeting with Fr. Samson, pastor of the Cathedral Parish. We work closely with our priests as we prepare our children for the sacraments. Fr. Samson met with everyone individually. Now the journey begins as we all grow in our relationship with the Lord and His Holy Church!
Prayer for reconciliation and peace for Haiti
On Friday, September 27, even in the midst of demonstrations in the country, we invited our youth to come and pray before the Blessed Sacrament for peace and reconciliation in their lives and in the country of Haiti. About 40 young people were present; and our priests, Fr. Ewod and Fr. Maurice, made it to our complex to lead the prayer and to listen to confessions.
The Lord was truly present here as we listened to God’s Word and prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for one another and for the country of Haiti.
After the celebration,we were blessed to have an agape meal for all! Please pray with us through Divine Mercy for Haiti.
And in this place I will give you peace, says the Lord of hosts!
We are reminded that God is here in our midst…
…even though this country is under such turmoil, violence and stress. Today, another demonstration is planned throughout the country. People will not stop until something changes In their government and with the leaders. Can you imagine kids not in school for three weeks already due to the violence? Yet, God reveals some light as a new day dawns and says from Haggai the prophet: …”take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work! For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. This is the pact that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, And my spirit continues in your midst; do not fear!”
We trust in God’s Word. Yesterday we needed to go to the market for bread and eggs. We needed the bread to feed our kids. At first, there was no bread nor eggs. But in the next moment, a man delivered a box of eggs. Thank you, God, for your love and care!
We still saw that no bread was on the shelves. As we were leaving and pulling out, we saw an older man with a full wheelbarrow of bread…God in our midst, God sustaining us! It was for us an incredible moment of God’s love!
The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously–as we hear in the Gospel–to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day. The full understanding of the following of Jesus is not obtained through theoretical instruction, but through practical commitment–walking together with Him along the road of service, from Galilee up to Jerusalem. The road of the following is the road of the gift of self, of abandonment, of service, of availability, of acceptance of conflict, knowing that there will be a resurrection.
The cross is not an accident on the way; it forms part of our way. This is because, in the organized world starting from egoism, love and service can exist only if they are crucified! Anyone who makes of his life a service to others disturbs those who live attached to privileges, and suffers.
So we meet this day in hope that the Lord will protect his people, and especially his children, and that something will change here in Haiti as the Lord calls us all to conversion, especially its leaders.
