Saturday of the First Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

The work of a Catholic Charities case manager or counselor is, by nature, very challenging. It is so easy to take on clients’ burdens and pains, without realizing that they are being added to the many that are already being experienced in his or her own life. (This is exactly why “self-care” has become such an important topic and practice in the social work field.)

Unfortunately, not all who live in our communities are on the same page as we are relative to the services we collectively provide to our neighbors in need…and that makes it hard.

• Not everyone believes that those experiencing homelessness should be housed or fed.
• Not everyone believes that we have a moral calling to welcome the stranger, especially if the stranger is not from our own land.
• Not everyone believes that there is enough food to share, so that those with little have some.
• Not everyone believes that we have an obligation to care for a baby, not only while in its mother’s womb, but after birth, too.

Jesus has a message for us in today’s Gospel. But before giving us the message, he acknowledges our partisan, divided nature: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love you neighbor and hate your enemy.’” (We haven’t changed much in 2000 years, have we?)

As a Catholic Charities staff member, it would be so easy to say “Good riddance! Be gone!” to those in our community who are opposed to resettling refugees or our offering connections to food or providing assistance in order to keep individuals or families housed.

Although it might be easier to take this approach, Jesus says that we can’t: “I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

Heavenly Father, this day, we pray that all eyes and ears in our community be open – even ourown – to the needs of our brothers and sisters, regardless of their age or faith tradition or countryof birth or nationality or race or any other differences. Help us to remember that “now is a veryacceptable time” to greet – and pray for – not only our friends, but our enemies. “Now is the dayof salvation.”

Mark Barry is Director of Communications & Fundraising for Catholic Charities of Tennessee, an agency he has served for nearly ten years. During his tenure, he also served on the CCUSA Development & Communications Professional Interest Group steering team for five years. He and his wife, Kathleen, are longtime members of St. Henry Church in Nashville. Their son, Joseph, lives in Houston.

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