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“Blessed Are the Merciful”
This weekend, we hear the most well-known part of the Sermon on the
Mount, the Beatitudes. Among them is this one: “Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.” Sometimes, the problems of our world seem so
huge, we are tempted to throw up our hands in despair and say, “I can’t deal
with it!” As Fr. Bill Justice reminded us last Sunday, Jesus’ life, death
and resurrection give us hope in the midst of whatever trials we (or the
world) are under going. It’s obvious that we at St. Robert’s are people of
hope and would rather respond to the needs of our world. Our parishioners
cannot be outdone in generosity, in the mercy shown to others! Every
November, you give food for St. Vincent de Paul’s Thanksgiving baskets and
mittens, scarves and slippers for Sr. Ita’s and Sr. Patricia’s homebound
folks. During Advent, you participate wholeheartedly in the Giving Tree and
the Family Giving Tree to help people in need referred by St. Bruno Catholic
Worker, San Mateo Catholic Charities and St. Thomas Parish, Long Beach,
Mississippi.
This Lent, we invite you to extend the reach of
your charity even further. You may have heard that in the year 2000, the
developed nations of the world agreed upon 8 goals for the new millennium.
One of these Millennium Goals was to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
diseases. 3,000 children die of malaria each day, primarily in African
countries. For $10 each, pesticide-treated nets can be made locally and
transported to the people who are then instructed in their proper use. The
net not only prevents those within it from being bitten, but also kills the
malaria-carrying mosquitoes which fly into it.
The Social Concerns group will be spearheading
this parish-wide effort. Please feel free to talk with any of us if you have
questions. Beginning next Sunday, blue envelopes in the pews will be
available for your donation. Many of us still have the practice of fasting
from something we really enjoy – like going to the movies or having desert -
giving something up for Lent. You might want to put into the envelope the
money you save each week and turn it in at the end of Lent. Or simply decide
how much you’d like to give, write a check made out to St. Robert’s, enclose
it in the envelope and put it in the regular collection. There will be short
articles in the bulletin each week to keep this effort in our minds and
hearts. The money donated will go to the Gates Foundation/ United Nations
Funded effort which you can read about on
www.NothingButNets.net. Nothing
will be used for administrative expenses; every penny will go to getting the
nets to the people who need them. Please feel free to look closely at the
net and the photos within it. Thank you in advance for your help.
Have a blessed Lent! S. Sheral |
