Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Readings of the Day 

In today’s Psalm we hear: “For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.”

While writing this reflection, our area of the country is trying to absorb what happened during the devastating tornadoes of December 10^th. We were the lucky ones, having only to deal with tornado sirens at midnight and power outages. Sadly, though, we woke this morning to learn of the huge loss of lives and destroyed cities. Yet, amid the chaos, those residents who lost everything repeatedly expressed tremendous hope that they would rebuild again. What an Advent story!

Each year the Advent readings provide a recurring sense of hope and history. They are a steady voice regardless of how shaky the world might seem. When he was a little boy, my son loved Mr. Rogers. Today I frequently think of how Fred Rogers worked to uncomplicate the world for preschoolers. Rogers would tell them to “Look for the helpers when the news was scary.” As adults, we are called to be those helpers. The Advent Scripture readings remind us that throughout history God always raises up helpers in some form.

Catholic Charities agencies have a historical timeline of being those helpers. No matter what, when, or where scary things are shaking someone’s world, Catholic Charities provides help as well as opportunities for all to become helpers. The years I worked at Catholic Charities I witnessed this happen time and again. This was especially true during these long pandemic months. Even though I had already retired, I was very proud of our local Catholic Charities response. It quickly adapted to a COVID world and did not miss a beat in providing needed services. And this story of hope was repeated at agencies in the CCUSA network throughout the country.

As we light the fourth Advent candle these last days before Christmas, it a good time to remember our history, and all the helpers who continue to make history.

Therese Gustaitis is retired from Catholic Charities of West Tennessee in Memphis. Currently, she serves in other ministries in the Memphis area.

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