The Hobo's Saint
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Faith on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 2:00 PM
Every day, I derive so much inspiration from reading about the lives of the saints who have gone before us. During the month of November, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed—as I am—by pleas for help and charity. It seems that in these months leading up to the holidays, we receive so many requests for donations. My parish, our school, and our local Catholic Charities agency have all announced food drives within a two week period. The truth of the matter is that more people than ever are suffering the effects of a lagging economy - this means more families out of work and looking for support.
On today’s liturgical calendar, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, religious. I hope you’ll take a few moments to read this account of the life of St. Elizabeth - who is among many other things the patron saint of Hobos (just in case you were wondering). St. Elizabeth was known and beloved for her tremendous compassion for the poor, tending to the sick and seeing personally that the hungry were fed. This mother of four eventually sold her riches to care for the destitute around her after she was widowed.
Even Pope Benedict has underscored this week the importance of reaching out to those in need. He said in this week’s summit on world food security:
“Hunger is the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty. Opulence and waste are no longer acceptable when the tragedy of hunger is assuming ever greater proportions.”
With so much talk of hunger and need swirling around us, it can sometimes feel difficult to make a dent in such a large problem. But one the beauties of being a mom is that we hold in our hearts and homes the future leaders of our Church and our world. If we can teach our children that you and I can make a difference, even in the smallest of ways, we will raise a generation of men and women committed to looking outside of their own needs.
It all begins with baby steps - an extra can of green beans donated at the local canned food drive, a quarter earned by doing a chore and offered at church, the “sharing” of a gently used jacket with someone who otherwise might go cold.
How do you express within your family the need to be charitable towards others? Does your parish offer you opportunities to reach out to those less fortunate? Will you be part of an organized giving campaign this winter? Do you find yourself in need of personal help and overwhelmed about how to find it? Let’s share with one another some ways in which our little Faith & Family community might follow St. Elizabeth’s example and become moms who make our world a better place.
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