Lord of all people,
During your time on earth you identified with the poor and instructed us to care for
one another, for our neighbor and especially for the least of our brothers and sisters.
Be with us as we advocate for the poor.
Help us to persevere in joy and love on their behalf.
Add your voice to ours as we speak out for those who are not heard in our communities.
Guide us as we work, comfortable in the knowledge that we are doing your will for
this day and time and place, and that you will take care of tomorrow.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, his Blessed Mother, our patron St. Vincent
and our founder Blessed Frederic.
Ruth Zemek
During your time on earth you identified with the poor and instructed us to care for
one another, for our neighbor and especially for the least of our brothers and sisters.
Be with us as we advocate for the poor.
Help us to persevere in joy and love on their behalf.
Add your voice to ours as we speak out for those who are not heard in our communities.
Guide us as we work, comfortable in the knowledge that we are doing your will for
this day and time and place, and that you will take care of tomorrow.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, his Blessed Mother, our patron St. Vincent
and our founder Blessed Frederic.
Ruth Zemek
REFLECTION: As we visit one more family in poverty and we hear one more story of hardship, as we assess their needs and wonder about what to do, it is common to feel unsure on how we can provide concrete help, beyond some initial assistance. So many families, so many needs…, so few resources available.
And, when we think further on how to address the problems that caused their poverty, where do we go for solutions? Whom do we talk to? Are there programs available that can help? Is the problem specific to this family or is it so pervasive that it affects many families? Is advocacy what we need to do? How do we go about it? How can we be their voice?
Seeking answers to these questions might lead us back to our prayer, when we said, “Guide us as we work, comfortable in the knowledge that we are doing your will for this day and time and place, and that you will take care of tomorrow.”
Doing God’s will for this day, time and place is what can give us the needed reassurance. Have we learned to listen to God’s will for our life and for our ministry for people in need?
And, when we think further on how to address the problems that caused their poverty, where do we go for solutions? Whom do we talk to? Are there programs available that can help? Is the problem specific to this family or is it so pervasive that it affects many families? Is advocacy what we need to do? How do we go about it? How can we be their voice?
Seeking answers to these questions might lead us back to our prayer, when we said, “Guide us as we work, comfortable in the knowledge that we are doing your will for this day and time and place, and that you will take care of tomorrow.”
Doing God’s will for this day, time and place is what can give us the needed reassurance. Have we learned to listen to God’s will for our life and for our ministry for people in need?
