Serving The Poor
We were blessed to have Fr. Luke Sweeney, Director of Vocations for The Archdiocese of New York, here to lead us in Evening Prayer. We then read the parable of Lazarus at the gate of the rich man and considered how that applied to our lives today. Since most of the people in the world (over 50%) do not have enough to eat, we realized that all of us are materially rich. In addition, we are all spiritually rich since most people in the world are not free to practice their religion openly. We all have ready access to The Sacraments; we have a spiritual community for support; we have our families. There is no doubt that the "rich man" in the parable applies to each one of us.
We then considered who Lazarus might be in our lives. With the above video images from Honduras and stories of Brother Mateo, a Franciscan friar who worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta cleaning maggot-ridden wounds and caring for the poorest of the poor as they died, we saw dramatic images of Lazarus. But the parable applies not only to the remarkable experiences we can have on a mission trip, but also and especially to our everyday lives here and now. In the life of every teenager here at home, there is someone in need, someone "at the gate" who you may walk by without noticing just as the rich man walked by Lazarus every day. Someone you need to share your wealth with, your material wealth at times, and also your spiritual wealth. It may be another teenager who has no faith, no hope, or maybe an old woman who lives alone and has no one to visit her.
Brother Roch and Brother Miguel Pro, both novices of The Franciscan Friars of The Renewal, then shared their life stories with us: how from different backgrounds and degrees of faith formation, they both came to a deep conversion and commitment to serve Christ in the poor.
Our lives, especially the lives of teenagers, can be filled with difficulties, stress, confusion, anxiety or discouragement. The quickest and surest way to free yourself from these troubles and acquire more focus and serenity is to serve: give to those in need. There is a joy and peace which radiates from the Franciscan Friars and the Franciscan Sisters who have given up everything to serve. It is that joy you can achieve through service to the poor. Each and every day there is a Lazarus at your gate, someone providentially placed in your path who is in need. By sharing your material and spiritual wealth with them you are not only obeying the will of God, but you will also be moving that much closer to achieving true joy and fulfillment in your life.
A Drop of Clear Water is a lay support group for Catholic teens. Our goal is to bring together teens who love their faith, are committed to chastity, and are ready to explore the wonder and beauty of Catholicism.