This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. Psalm 118:24
Easter is not simply a single day. Easter is a Season of new life. What the Resurrection of Jesus promises is that things can always be new again. It is never too late to start over. We have lived through a year that surely none of us would like to experience again. Easter is a feast which gives us hope and encouragement. Easter reminds us that life is worth living and there is “light at the end of the tunnel” that many have been in for far too long.
But as hard as life may have been for you and me during this past year of Covid-19, it is only a fraction of what our Neighbors in Need have experienced. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to live with the possibility of being evicted, or power being cut-off, or having to choose between medicine and food, or how to provide for my family while I am trying to get accepted for unemployment benefits…and the pleas for help goes on and on. And this is what our Vincentians heard from the calls received.
During this past year, though we were not able to make in-person visits to our Neighbors in Need, through phone visits we were able to respond to 161 calls for assistance, thus serving 157 households with a total of 361 persons served. Our members bagged and delivered food, sent checks for rent and paid overdue utilities, etc. But probably equally important was the special time they gave to listening compassionately and assure the distraught Neighbor that they were not alone. They now had someone to walk and pray with them during this overwhelming journey. And each time we neared the end of our resources, God sent us Good Samaritans to replenish those resources. You who are reading this now, may be one of those and if not, perhaps you might consider joining us in caring for God’s people, either as an active member or a benefactor.
Christian life is meant to be lived in Community. It is a sharing of the Spirit with others, through Jesus. We discover a deeper awareness and knowledge of the Lord in our relationships with one another.
May the Risen Lord touch your days with blessings and fill your life with love.
May you hear the Savior call your name often in your own garden of life.
May those moments inspire you to deeper faith,
the kind that can carry you through the seasons
when your spirit may not know feelings of Alleluia.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Sister Deborah Kennedy, RSM, Spiritual Advisor