Dedication of Mother Teresea's Treasures

Today was the dedication of the new Mother Terese's Treasures and Newburgh Food Pantry.

Eight years ago when a local neighborhood grocery decided to close, there was one who thought there was a perfect use for the store. Margaret suggested to Father Joe that it could be used to house the Newburgh Food Pantry. The food pantry had outgrown it's present location and needed a larger space to operated. She thought half of the store could be used for the food pantry while the other half could be opened as a thrift shop with the donations of those wanting to dispose of unwanted clothing, linens, toys or small appliances. The resale of these slightly used items would be what paid for the utilities, the property, and upkeep of the building to support the food pantry.

So here we are 8 years later. The thrift shop paid for itself and more. It outgrew the shop and the store was in disrepair and would cost a more to fix than to build a new shop. So it was that 6 months ago the work began and culminated today in the dedication by Bishop Gettelfinger.

We gathered in the new parking lot as a community of faith, praying for the blessing of a building that has contributed much to community of Saint John the Baptist Parish and to the community of Newburgh as a whole.

During the bishop's words I noticed a butterfly light on the pavement. As a church of signs, I saw this as an affirmation of renewal, rebirth. We have a commission to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and care for all according to their needs. I saw the butterfly as a sign during this Easter season as Christ in our midst.

And though Margaret could not be with us today, her memory will always be a treasured part of what Mother Teresa's Treasures is meant to be. This endeavor is meant to be a visible witness to all of the principle of Christian Charity. The gift of love and generosity to all through our Lord Jesus Christ. We, who were privileged to know Margaret, have her legacy to hand on to others.

For this opportunity to have been able to share in this for this eight years, I feel very privileged. Through Margaret's wisdom and diligence, we have been shown that the will of God can be carried out in the smallest corner of this world. And because of this we are able to touch the lives of many.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Praying with St. Paul...

As the Year of St. Paul is winding down I would like to share this reflection with you about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It is a lesson in perseverance, courage and strength.

Be My Light
by Father James Martin, S.J.

"God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness" has shone in our
hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on
the face of [Jesus] Christ."
(2 Cor 4:6)

The title of Mother Teresa's posthumous collection of letters is Come Be My Light. Yet ironically, her letters speak more about darkness than light. For the last fifty years of her life, the woman now called Blessed Teresa of Calcutta suffered from an intense sense of spiritual darkness. Her prayer seemed empty, futile, fruitless. God seemed absent. This "dark night" was all the more striking given the mystical experiences that she had enjoyed earlier in life. In 1946, she literally heard the voice of Jesus asking her to leave the Sisters of Loreto to found a new religious order, the Missionaries of Charity.

What was Mother Teresa's response to this long interior darkness? Fidelity, she maintained the commitment she made to God, who had asked her to "be my light" among the poor. In time, Mother Teresa realized that the darkness was one way of experiencing the abandonment that Christ faced on the cross, and that the poor face daily. And the Albanian-born nun recognized that the very longing for God is a sign of God's presence.

Many of us, when confronted with the darkness of life--spiritual, emotional, professional, or otherwise--mistakenly believe that it is punishment from God. Sometimes we even use it as an excuse not to do the hard work of the Christian life--being compassionate, loving, and merciful. Mother Teresa's arduous but ultimately joyful life shows us that following Christ depends not simply on our emotional experiences, important as they are, but on our fidelity, our trust in God's will, and our ability to surrender to the future that God has in store for us. And then, in the midst of the darkness, we are able to be God's light.

Loving God, sometimes the way is so dark and it is so hard to find you. Please help me to trust in you even when you don't seem present. And help me to see your presence in my life soon.

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And so it is that I too must be faithful, even when I don't experience joy and satisfaction in prayer. For me it is not a matter that God is not listening. I find myself making the excuse that the prayer is too frivilous. Not so. I'm not being punished. I'm not abandoned. I must tell myself often that I am resting on the Father's lap while I am being taught the art of persevence, compassion, and love. Though I may fail at every turn, when the answer does come it will come with grace in abundance from the hands of a generous Father. I often ask myself. Why should I be less privileged to suffer, than the one who saved me, the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ? Indeed, if he could suffer death for me, why not I for him. In many ways we are spoiled by the Father and don't even acknowledge it.

~~~^j^~~~

For the opportunity to participate
in the life of the Savior,
Thanks be to God!

Novena for Life VI

The life of every human being is sacred as the creation of God, and is of infinite value because He created each person including the unborn child. ~~Blessed Mother Teresa~~

We are called to serve and so we pray:

Preaching the Gospel of Life in Every Moment

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Thanks be to God!

Novena for Life III

The very fact that God has placed a certain soul in your way is a sign that God wants you to do something for him or her. It is not chance; it has been planned by God We are bound by conscience to help him or her. ~~Blessed Mother Teresa~~

As we continue this journey, I would also ask you to pray the Prolife Rosary as well.

To Truth Through Amazement

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Thanks be to God