February 3, 2010
Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:4-6
Piety
A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti
By Archbishop Timothy Dolan, from his blog:
“This is a special prayer for the people of Haiti. I invite everyone to pray to the Lord for the victims of the devastating earthquake.”
Lord, at times such as this, when we realize that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble about us, we know too well how small we truly are on this ever-changing, ever-moving, fragile planet we call home. Yet you have promised never to forget us. Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid. They wait in fear of the next tremor. They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble. They roam the streets in shock at what they see. And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief and the names of missing dead.
Study
We continue to study stories where Jesus is amazed at the lack of faith among his own family and friends. His recent experience in Gerasenes and elsewhere showed how demons and others recognize him as the Messiah yet those closest to him did not. When he arrives home, rather than recognizing him as the Son of God, instead they recognize Jesus as only the carpenter. “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?”
Shortly, he will perform the miracle multiplication of the five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people. Yet still the hearts of the people would be hardened. So, they cross over the Sea of Galilee and encounter people who immediately recognized him. Thus, the pattern continues.
Ched Myers described this theme as Jesus being a stranger at home and at home among strangers. “Despite apparent failure, the messianic mission can and must regroup and continue.
What does this mean? Perhaps those closest to Jesus are upset that he is making a name for himself beyond his hometown. By doing so, he is upsetting the social order (“status quo”) of his hometown.
All this rejection seems to prepare ye the way for the ultimate rejection that takes place in the passion, trial and execution of Jesus. The ministry is in danger of what Myers calls “the apparent total collapse” which then paves the way for the “promise of regeneration” in the work of the early Christian community on down to our action.
Action
Would Jesus be amazed at our faith or amazed at our lack of faith? Or better yet, how can we make him amazed at how our love in action continues to plant the seeds that make Christian community grow?
Certainly the on-going crisis in Haiti provides us with the means to show our collective response. However, let us not forget that hunger provides a silent disaster every day killing as many people each week as the earthquake killed in Port-au-Prince three weeks ago.
However, the problem of these issues is that we have to act all the time, not just when Anderson Cooper or Diane Sawyer report the evening news from a country in the developing world.
So whether we confront trying to bring peace to the people in Lebanon or Sudan, helping Malawi farmers to fend off drought, or bringing the resources and promise of microfinance to South Asia, there is work to be done all the time. (Do not take this as implying that your help is no longer needed in Haiti. It is. But we can not forget the rest of the family while concentrating in one place.)
One way you might consider doing this is by spreading the word that Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is looking for people to serve as Fair Trade Ambassadors. They launched the Fair Trade Ambassador project in 2007 to encourage outstanding volunteers to become effective word of mouth marketers: influencing others to learn about and participate in the Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade (CRS FT) program and the global fair and sustainable marketplace.
A CRS Fair Trade Ambassador utilizes word-of-mouth marketing techniques (networking, social media, building buzz, increasing brand awareness, etc.) to encourage CRS FT fans and program participation. Ambassadors are specially-trained volunteers who work within their communities and networks to spread the word about how Fair Trade can help achieve greater economic justice in the world. They are members of a CRS Fair Trade Ambassador community that supports each others' spiritual journeys and volunteer ministries.
The next training is May 21-23, 2010 in Traverse City, Michigan. After training, ambassadors commit to a year-long plan of action to support fair trade projects. If you are interested in applying, please contact CRS at410-951-7384 for an application. The deadline to submit applications is in the middle of this month -- February 15, 2010.
More information can be found at these links on the CRS website:
www.crsfairtrade.org/ambassadors/
http://www.crsfairtrade.org/2008/06/08/what-is-a-word-of-mouth-ambassador-anyway/
PS: If you are not ready to commit to being a Fair Trade ambassador, then support farmers in the developing world next weekend February 6-7 at St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, VA when it offers a coffee and chocolate sale after Saturday night and Sunday morning Masses.
