ORDINARY TIME 2015 REFLECTIONS

May 10, 2015

Sixth Sunday of Easter; Mothers Day
Acts of the Apostles 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48; I John 4: 7-10; John 15: 9-17
As I reflect on Mothers Day, Im reminded of a moment many years ago when one of my
daughters was only three years old. She and I were driving to her school. I was worrying about
bills, deadlines, and all those things we seem to worry about on a daily basis. I remember I was
feeling especially low and fearful.
Suddenly from the back seat I heard a little voice, Mommy, do you like green eggs and ham? I
began to laugh so hard at this sudden interruption of thought that I began to cry. Not because I
was sad, but because this small voice and the simplicity of her question brought me back to
reality; back to the here and now and the realization that in the midst of all the everyday sadness
and worrying, I had the most wonderful blessing right with me in the car. And even if it was for
just that one moment of my day, her innocence and unconditional love brought me peace.
In my daughter I see a reflection of Gods unconditional love for us, expressed so beautifully in
the Second Reading for Mothers Day from 1 John 4: 7-8, Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is
without love does not know God, for God is love. My daughter and the reading remind me that
Gods unconditional love should be a source of peace in my life that I am then able to extend to
others. As Peter says in our First Reading, God shows no partiality, (Acts of the Apostles
10:34b). The peace found in his love is given to all, and should be extended through me to all.
Mothers Day is the day I remember that just as my own mother wrapped me in a blanket and
loved me, I too am wrapped in the arms of God. His light must shine through me so I can wrap
others in love. As Jesus tells us in the Mothers Day Gospel, John 15: 12, Love one another as I
love you. Because of the love God has shown me I am ready and, more importantly, able to give
of myself to others.

Thinking about the many opportunities God has given me to be a mother, not just to my children
but to others around me, I am in awe of all of Gods gifts in my life, the chances he has given me
to be a light in places of darkness and a hope in times of despair. I realize that I have been a
mother even before the time the Lord gave me children of my own to care for.
It is this kind of love that is at the heart of our work at Catholic Charities. There is no more
fitting mission statement for us than the simplicity of those words from Johns Letter: Beloved,
let us love one another. Let us remind ourselves with each opportunity that arises in our work
and in our lives to love as God does, drawing on our knowledge of Gods unconditional love for
us.
Tricia Reeves
Counselor, School-Based Family Support Program; Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden
May 1, 2015
St. Joseph the Worker, Optional Memorial
Acts of the Apostles 13: 26-33, John 14: 1-6
(Editors note: Pope Pius XII instituted this feast day in 1955. On the secular calendar, May 1 had been celebrated
as May Day for a number of years, a commemoration of the working man. Pope Pius XII hoped that this feast
would accentuate the dignity of labor and bring a spiritual dimension to labor unions. And, of course, St. Joseph is
the patron of many causes [and the locale of our writer, Deacon Dan Powers, Kansas City-St. Joseph], including
manual workers and carpenters. As our Catholic Charities network continues to advocate for just treatment and fair
wages for lower paid blue collar workers, may we solicit the intercession of this saint. i)

Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? These words in this
mornings Gospel show that the early Christians were not sure about what they were being called
to do. Sometimes we feel that uncertainty as well. St. Joseph must have had similar questions.
Imagine Joseph working in his carpentry shop with a young Jesus. Remember in Luke 2: 34b
that Simeon said to Mary and Joseph, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many
in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted so that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed. How many questions Joseph must have had about what he was supposed to do!
Joseph was a humble carpenter who taught Jesus to work with wood. Being close to the Lord
helped Joseph to understand his call. The daily conversations with Jesus must have been a
wonder and a joy as he grew older. But when Jesus was young, how did Joseph know that
common carpentry was what he was supposed to teach Jesus? How did he know to stay in
Nazareth? So many questions must have been in Josephs heart.
Sometimes we have questions about our call. In our humble work serving the Lord and the
needy, we are sometimes unclear about what the Lord is calling us to do next. Like Joseph, we
need daily conversations with Jesus. Imagine the questions that Jesus must have asked Joseph

and the questions that Joseph must have had for Jesus. We too can speak to the Lord everyday
but even more we can listen to the Lord as He speaks to us.
This work we do puts us close to the Lord. In conversation with God, we can know the way. We
can speak to the Lord and listen to the Lord just as Joseph did. Jesus is the way! Joseph shows
us how to humbly listen to the Lord.
Deacon Dan Powers
Executive Director, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Inc.
April 22, 2015
Earth Day
Pope Francis, Poverty and Climate Change: An Earth Day Call to Action
Shortly after his election, Pope Francis explained that he chose his papal name to honor St.
Francis of Assisi because, For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who
loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do
we? Since then, Pope Francis has repeatedly affirmed the insight from his predecessors that
poverty and creation care are intimately related, especially in the face of climate change.
This summer, Pope Francis will release the Churchs first papal encyclical devoted to ecology.
Given Francis popularity and his unquestioned moral stature, this document is expected to have
a profoundly positive impact on the efforts of both the Church and the world to address climate
change. Pope Francis attention to ecology will be particularly good news for the worlds poorest
people and communities: they are the most vulnerable to the adverse consequences of climate
changeeven though they have contributed very little to the problem. The fact is that the
worlds poorest people emit less carbon into the environment because they do not have as many
vehicles, nor as many temperature control systems that heat and cool the air, nor as many
electronics and machines powered by electricity, nor do they consume as much food (primarily
meat) that requires more energy to produce, than those who are not poor. However, when they
live in coastal areas, with less money to construct safeguards against extreme weather brought
about by climate change, those who are poor are more likely to feel the effects of such disasters.
Consider how environmental injustice and climate change impact the work within your own
agency. It is very likely that the neighborhoods most afflicted by poor air or water quality are
also the poorest in your region. As climate helps intensify droughts, floods, heat waves and other
weather events, how is your agency prepared to assist people in harms way? What are the
human health impacts of environmental degradation and climate change in communities where
you serve? Catholic Charities USA is increasingly looking to help you anticipate and prepare for
these evolving threats.
This year, Pope Francis and his encyclical on ecology will provide Catholics with an
unprecedented opportunity to care for creation and the poor in the face of global climate change.
The Catholic Climate Covenant will continue to work with our partner, Catholic Charities USA,
to share Catholic teaching on these issues and we invite you to join our efforts to care for all of

Gods creationespecially the worlds poorest and most vulnerable communities that are
disproportionately harmed by environmental degradation.
It is widely anticipated that the encyclical will be released in June or July. Ahead of its release
there is much you can do to prepare yourself, your family, and your parish. First, you and your
communities can take the St. Francis to Care for Creation and the Poor and register your
commitments online at http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/the-st-francis-pledge/. Additionally,
you can Like the Catholic Climate Covenant on Facebook at
Facebook.com/CatholicClimateCovenant and follow us on Twitter @CatholicClimate. By doing
these things, you will receive all of the latest Catholic information and resources related to the
encyclical.
Daniel J. Misleh
Executive Director, Catholic Climate Covenant
February 8, 2015
International Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking
Editors note: February 8 is recognized by the Catholic Church as the Feast Day of St.
Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947). The native Sudanese was kidnapped and sold into slavery at
the age of nine, transferred from one master to another while experiencing brutality in many
forms. After being sold again in 1883, she finally encountered a family that treated her with a
degree of human dignity. She was baptized in 1890 and professed religious vows to the
Canossian Sisters, a religious community that helped separate her from a life of trafficking and
human slavery, in 1896. For this reason, St. Josephine is elevated by many opponents of
trafficking and slavery.
So what does the life of St. Josephine and opposition to 21st century slavery and human
trafficking have to do with our Catholic Charities network and our parishes? Besides it being
the subject of Pope Francis 2015 World Day of Peace Message (No Longer Slaves but
Brothers and Sisters),54 Catholic Charities agencies feature programs that assist domestic and
or international trafficking victims. Earlier this year, I learned about one such program, the
Johns School, Commonwealth Catholic Charities (Diocese of Richmond). My conversations
with staff caused me to think, How often does our society neglect to address the need of the
healing of perpetrators in our communities? I am happy to share this essay from Ryan Arey
and proud that a Catholic Charities program is helping to bring wholeness to all affected by
social deviance in our communities. To become more involved with CCUSAs work against
human trafficking, click here. Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.
In April of 2013, Commonwealth Catholic Charities and other community partners in Henrico,
Virginia, launched the Johns School. The focus of this unique class is to work with men who
have been arrested for solicitation of prostitution, helping them recognize the devastating effect
their actions have on their partners, families and their community, and especially on the women
they hire as prostitutes.

These men predominantly report that, although they know paying for sex is illegal, they believe
it is a business transaction between two adults. What the Johns do not consider is that many
prostituted women do not do it by choice; they are someones daughter, a mother, sister, and
sometimes, a minor advertised as an adult. Johns do not stop to think that many of these women
are forced into prostitution through human trafficking and are in a cycle of violence, poverty,
drugs, physical and mental abuse, and degradation that they cannot escape.
The one-day, eight hour Johns School class prompts the men to explore their perceptions and
come to terms with the cognitive, health, social and emotional toll caused by their actions. So
far, over 80 men have attended the seven classes. They all have gained an understanding that
they are the demand of this industry, and that if they do not purchase sex, it will reduce the
supply, which is crucial to eradicating human trafficking.
A percentage of the course fee paid for by each participant goes to the non-profits that directly
provide support and services to help prostituted women and victims of trafficking find a way out.
In addition, local government partners also include the countys Commonwealths Attorney,
Community Corrections, and Health Departments. Without all of these collaborators, this
program would not have been established and the classes would not have such impact.
Therefore, we are grateful for our partnerships and the support of everyone else who has been a
part of this project.
(Editors note: As the international community marks the International Day of Prayer for
Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking, I was invited by a Catholic Charities staffer from
Karidat Social Services; Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands to share this prayer written in the
back of a journal by one of its clients, a Filipino woman seeking relief from human trafficking. I
believe that it is an appropriate way to close this composition:
Dearest Lord,
Please help my job every day. I need money for my family. I know you knew it already. So, I
hope I will be able to meet a generous person. Please provide me that kind person. Lord I hope
you understand me. As you know, I want to go back to the Philippines. I do not like it here
anymore, so please speed up every single day that passes by. Please help me and ______. Please
do not forsake us. Please guide us down here.--L.T.D.)
Ryan Arey, LCSW
Clinical Supervisor, Counseling Services; Commonwealth Catholic Charities (Diocese of
Richmond)

January 31, 2015

Memorial of St. John Bosco
Today the church celebrates the Memorial of St. John Bosco (1815-1888). The 19th century
Italian priest was canonized in 1934. He is recognized as the patron saint of Catholic publishers
and apprentices.
His own experience of fatherless childhood poverty sensitized him to the needs of similar
children in Italy. The education and spiritual formation of low income children was a great
passion of his adult life. His successful work among homeless youth even attracted the support
of very anticlerical Italian politicians.
After experiencing difficulties retaining other priests to assist in his ministry to homeless boys,
St. John Bosco eventually founded a religious order of men who would commit themselves to
this same ministry. The Salesians (known more formally as the Society of St. Francis de Sales or
Salesians of Don Bosco) were founded in 1859; at the time of John Boscos death, they
numbered 1,039 members in 59 houses in Spain, Italy, Argentina, England, France, Uruguay, and
Brazil. Together with St. Maria Mazzarello, he also founded the Salesian Sisters (known more
formally as the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) in 1872. The Sisters
would provide a similar ministry to low income girls.
As an educator, his philosophy came to be known as the Salesian preventive system of education.
It rejected the use of corporal punishment and strove to place children in environments that were
least likely to tempt them to stray. As a devoted priest, his educational philosophy included
frequent reception of the sacraments and thorough catechetical training. He insisted that all of
his students receive vocational training that would provide a self sustaining skill during their
adulthood.
Do you know a Salesian priest, brother, sister, or lay associate/volunteer? If you were ever lived
in an Italian Catholic community, you might have crossed paths. As our own Catholic Charities
network becomes more and more involved in social enterprise programs that help provide job
skills and incomes to help raise our clients from poverty, I am sure that this good 19th century
role model is smiling down on us from heaven.
Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.
Manager of Mission Resources and Data, Catholic Charities USA
Source consulted: Catholic University of America. New Catholic Encyclopedia. Detroit:
Thompson/Gale, 1993.
January 19, 2015
Dr. Martin Luther King Day

I teared up several times during the movie Selma. When men and women, including a highly
visible number of religious leaders of all races, ages and creeds, introduced themselves to the
civil rights leaders before the hike across the bridge, I paused. When Dr. King stopped in his
tracks on the bridge and took a knee to pray, modeling prayerfulness for the rest of the multitude,
I too prayed. As powerful as this historical documentary is, what moves me the most on Dr.
King Day in 2015 is Dr. King and nonviolence.
During a meeting of Kings Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a man
rose up from the audience, leapt onto the stage, and smashed King in the face. Punched
him hard. And then punched him again.
After the first punch, [Taylor] Branch recounts, King just stood there, allowed the
assailant (who turned out to be a Member of the American Nazi Party) to punch him
again. And when Kings associates tried to step in King stopped them:
Dont touch him! King shouted. Dont touch him. We have to pray for him.1
For several years, Barb and I collaborated on a number of justice and outreach activities in
northeast Wisconsin. Barb became a caretaking daughter and proud grandmother and I moved to
Washington; I had not seen her for several years when we met in the airport this very month.
We did a lot of catching up. One of the topics we discussed was Ferguson, Missouri.
From what I have read, he [Officer Wilson] should have never become a police officer, Barb
shared. This was what I had come to expect from my friend, a 21st century Dr. King. Just as
Barb would not judge Michael Brown, Officer Charles Wilson, or the demonstrating crowds in
the St. Louis area and elsewhere, but rather consider the humanity of Officer Wilson, Dr. King,
as a prophet of nonviolence, challenges us to lay down the sword and strive to dialogue,
dialogue, and dialogue with those with whom we agree and disagree in order bring about a
beloved community.
To quote Ron Rosenbaum again, But it was more than courageit was a disciplined act of
nonviolence King preached. Not just passive, but active nonviolencereaching out to get inside
the Other, even emphasize with what brought him to such a hateful place.2
And this too reminds me of my friend Barb, who once refused to badmouth the antagonistic city
leader when the rest of us had lost patience with his uncivil acts, but would instead sit down with
him and really try to understand what made him tick.
1 Rosenbaum, R. (2015, January). From Selma to Ferguson. Smithsonian, p. 30.

2 Ibid., p. 82.

Now, back to the current crisis on race relations in the United States. I cannot end this Dr. King
Day reflection without a recommendation to read and consider Bishop Edward Braxtons
(Belleville, Illinois) recommended actions in his January 1, 2015 World Day of Peace Message,
The Racial Divide in the United States: A Reflection for World Day of Peace 2015. I sent
Barb and her husband the link; they approved.
Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.
Manager of Mission Resources and Data, Catholic Charities USA
January 2015
Poverty Awareness Month
January can be described in one word--bitter. The cold is bitter. The dark is bitter. Attitudes can
become bitter. The choices that people who are living in poverty are facing are bitter choices.
What can we do about these bitter choices, these choices that bite at each of us when we drive to
work and see people- our neighbors- our brothers and sisters in Christ struggling outside in the
cold?
People living in poverty face the reality of hard choices. January is generally one of the coldest
months in the United States, in the stark of winter. People who are poor are faced with tough
choices. How do they find warmth? How do they find food, shelter, a way to pay for heat, gas,
and electricity? These tough choices are only compounded when children are added to the
equation.
January is Poverty Awareness Month. I generally spend time reflecting during the month on the
Sermon on the Mount. While I like Matthews account, Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew
5: 3), I find that I much prefer Lukes account, Blessed are you who are poor (Luke 6: 20). In
Luke, there is nothing but the reality of what it is to be poor- there is no over spiritualization of
poverty.
I struggle during these days trying to figure out what my response is, what it should be, how can
I be of help to those living in poverty and struggling? It is in my Benedictine training at
undergrad and grad school that I find my answer--balance. Find a way to balance the bitter. I
find ways to give to local charities, such as Catholic Charities organizations working around the
clock to combat the bitterness. I find ways to establish relationships with the people in my
neighborhood. Do I know my neighbors who are struggling this winter? I examine my motives
with care and attention. Finally, I remember that I am called by God to serve. Sometimes this is
the point I struggle with the most; after all, I work for the Church. I am with God ALL the time.
Do I really have to take this home with me too? Yup. I do.
When I struggle with this last question, I go back to Luke. I read the reality. I find my answer.

If you would like to find some reflection tools to learn about how you can continue to fight the
bitterness of January, download the Poverty Awareness Calendar from the Conference of
Catholic Bishops. Sign up to receive a daily reminder from the Catholic Campaign for Human
Development and learn what you can to do pray, learn and act to end poverty in your community.
Genevieve Mougey
Poverty Education and Outreach Manager, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

January 4-10, 2015

National Migration Week 2015

We are One Family Under God

So why do you care about unaccompanied children?
I was taken back when a virtual stranger asked me this question when we met for the first time to
discuss our Washington D.C. parishs consideration of a new social outreach to unaccompanied
children and their families in our metro area. She knew that I was not a parent, elementary
school teacher, social worker, school psychologist, or immigrant. So why did I care?
Is it because my religious community has pastored the largest immigrant parish in northern
Wisconsin for 25 years? Is it because I spent an intense semester break in a Cuernavaca,
Mexico retreat center whose mission is to help North Americans come to grips with the impact of
the U.S. and Canadian policies on human rights abuses in Latin America? Is it because I
answered immigration reform when my former boss asked me in 2005, If you had a one on
one with the Bishop to raise a single justice issue, which one would it be? Is it because I was
moved by the regular reports and testimonials by Catholic Charities co-workers from Texas,
Arizona, and Alexandria, Virginia as the story of the humanitarian border crisis hit the fan last
June?
Maybe a bit of each of the above. However, I cannot help but reflect on the two separate stories
of Vietnamese friends in Wisconsin who snuck out of refugee camps in southeast Asia in the
early 1980s in an attempt to join some family members who were already in the U.S., seeking to
better the livelihoods for all of them. Or two Salvadoran friends in metro Washington, D.C. who
emigrated to the United States a decade apart, but driven by similar motivations, to be with or
come to the aid of family members on the other side of the border.
The U.S. Catholic Church celebrates National Migration Week January 4-10. It is no small
wonder that we celebrate it the same week as the Epiphany of the Lord. Sundays Gospel,
Matthew 2: 1-12, described how wise men from the East travelled to Bethlehem to visit the
newborn Jesus and the Holy Family but returned to their homes via a different route to avoid

Herod, who wanted to harm the Holy Family harm. Very soon after, the evangelist Matthew
describes how the Holy Family itself was forced to migrate to Egypt to avoid the life threatening
Herod (Matthew 2: 13-15).
Let us pray:
Loving Father,
in your infinite compassion,
we seek your divine protection for refugee children who
are often alone and afraid.
Provide solace to those who have been witnesses to
violence and destruction,
who have lost parents, family, friends, home, and all they
cherish due to war or persecution.
Comfort them in their sorrow, and bring help in their time
of need.
Show mercy to unaccompanied migrant children,
too, Lord.
Reunite them with their families and loved ones.
Guide those children who are strangers in a foreign land
to a place of peace and safety.
Comfort them in their sorrow, and bring help in their time
of need.
Show us how we might reach out to these precious and
vulnerable children.
Open our hearts to migrant and refugee children in need,
so that we might see in them your own migrant Son.
Give us courage to stand up in their defense against those
who would do them harm.
For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives
and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
A Prayer for Migrant Children, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Manager of Mission Resources and Data, Catholic Charities USA

i Lodi, Enzo. Saints of the Roman Calendar: Including Feasts Proper to the EnglishSpeaking World. New York: Alba House, 1992, p. 107 and Farmer, David Hugh. The Oxford
Dictionary of Saints. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 275.