This past week we had meetings with the guardians of the students in the H.O.P.E. project. As I mentioned in my last post, H.O.P.E. helps provide orphans infected or affected by HIV/AIDS with access to an education by assisting with tuition, school fees, uniforms, supplies, and other school related expenses. Meetings with the guardians are held in both Mbungoni and Changamwe twice a year (usually in consecutive days). The purpose of the meetings is twofold. The first is to give the guardians an opportunity to provide feedback on the project, voice concerns, tell us what is working well and what they would like to see changed or improved, and to interact with other guardians. The second is more educational in nature. Typically the meeting will include a workshop on a social issue, a self-improvement topic, or a session on spiritual enrichment. The workshop topic for this set of meetings was “self-awareness”. We had a facilitator, Yohana, who led the workshop.
This was the first time I had a chance to meet the guardians of our students. It was certainly an enlightening experience for me. Here are some of the things that the guardian’s told us during the session. They told us that H.O.P.E. provides them “hope”. It gives them hope for a better life for their children, hope in an education on which their children can build a career, and hope that their children can become self-dependent and live happy, joy filled lives. The guardians told us that H.O.P.E. is the only chance their children have of an education and learning career skills.
The guardians said that H.O.P.E. has changed not only the lives of their children, but also their own lives. They said that they are much happier now and more stress free with their children in the H.O.P.E. project. They even told us that reduced stressed has even had a positive impact on their health. What was probably the toughest comment for me to hear was when they expressed that H.O.P.E. has removed the shame they felt by not being able to provide an education for their children.
All these wonderful comments are a result of the great work that Coralis and Florah have done on the H.O.P.E. project over the past several years. This was emphasized even more by the outpouring of emotion for Coralis when she told them that she would be leaving H.O.P.E. at the end of the year and heading back to the U.S. I only hope that I can continue to serve the orphans and guardians in such a positive manner as I begin my role as H.O.P.E. administrator. Luckily I have Florah and I looking forward very much to working with her in moving H.O.P.E. forward.
Finally, I was thrilled to hear of the direction that the guardians would like to see H.O.P.E. go in the future to be even better and help more children. They threw out ideas like opening a school, which they want to call H.O.P.E. Academy, to provide students with a learning environment with more personalized attention than they receive in public schools. The guardians would like to see us be able to support more orphans, that is to expand the number of children we are able to help. They also threw out ideas like expanding H.O.P.E. beyond only funding education and also moving the project in the direction of helping graduates start and/or expand businesses. The worse scenario is when graduates can’t find a job and make a living after completing their education.
Obviously some of these ideas are lofty and sound out of reach (although I won’t say that anything is impossible), but I am humbled at the enthusiasm that the guardians have for the continued success and growth of the H.O.P.E. project. I currently have no idea how to accomplish any of this, but trust that God will provide and give us the help we need to fulfill his plans for H.O.P.E.
All of this was driven home for me on Sunday, which was the feast of Corpus Christi (or what is now more formally known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ). I attended Mass in Mikindani with Florah. The Gospel for the feast day is one of the very well-known accounts of Jesus feeding a multitude of people. Yesterday’s Gospel reading was from St. Luke. Like any of the Gospels passages, this account of the feeding of the crowd can be read and understood from so many different angles. What resonated for me, especially in light of what I had rattling around in the back of my mind from the recent H.O.P.E. guardian meetings, was looking at the Gospel from the viewpoint of the apostles.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus had been speaking to the crowds, but it was getting late and they were in a deserted place. The apostles approached Jesus and asked him to dismiss the crowds so that they can go into the surrounding villages and find lodging and something to eat. Jesus responded to them and said “Give them some food yourselves”. On the surface, this sounds like a pretty harsh response. The apostles are concerned about the well-being of the people, approach Jesus and ask him to dismiss the crowds to allow them to go find something to eat, and Jesus responds by basically telling the apostles to feed the people themselves. Not exactly what I expected to hear Jesus say.
However, in actuality, Jesus is not telling the apostles to feed the people themselves, but rather to allow him to work through them to accomplish what they asked. Jesus is not telling the apostles to go it alone, but rather to trust in him, cooperate with him, and allow him to accomplish his will through them.
Jesus did not need the apostles to tell him that the day was getting late and that the people needed food. Jesus not only already knew this, but he also knew how he would accomplish feeding the crowd. Jesus just wanted the apostles to trust in him and cooperate in his work. God wills that we participate in our salvation and in bringing the kingdom of God to others. It’s not that God needs us to accomplish his will, but that only through giving of ourselves to others do we truly share in his divine life and become the person that he created us to be. God wills that we work with him and allow him to work through us in accomplishing his work.
But how do we accomplish what in many cases seems the impossible? In the Gospel passage, the apostles were tasked with feeding five thousand with only five loaves and two fish with which to work. But as was the case with the apostles, God never asks to do something without giving us everything we need to carry out what he is asking of us. Jesus doesn’t say that everything will be easy, but if we trust, he will provide all the graces we need. Again, God already knows what we need and how he will provide what is needed, he only asks us to accept the invitation to work with him, to trust in him, and to allow him to use our efforts, as meager as they may be, to accomplish his will. As God can never be outdone in generosity, he takes our efforts, in the case of this Gospel, the five loaves and two fish, and uses them to accomplish great things in abundance. Not only did the five loaves and two fish feed the five thousand, but the leftovers filled twelve wicker baskets!
As I’ve stated many times, God doesn’t ask us to do great things, but rather to do whatever we do with great love. As St. Therese tell us:
“Our Lord does not so much look at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.”
St. Therese of Lisieux
Love is the means with which God accomplishes all things and by which he accomplishes his works through us. However, we must cooperate and trust in what he is doing. God wants us to be willing participants. He does not force anything on us.
As I continue on in my ministry, what lies before me at times seems daunting – both in terms of what I want to accomplish and how to get it done. I realized that I need to allow our Lord to lead more and do what he wants, not what I want. However, I also know that if I trust in him and truly allow him to work through me, everything will work out for good. As I know that Flora shares in my trust of the Lord, I am confident in the fact that he will be working through both of us.
I’ll end with some words from Pope Benedict’s address after being elected pope in 2005. Pope Benedict described himself as “a simple, humble, worker in God’s vineyard.” He then continued “I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools …” Pope Benedict, I’m with you.
God is good.
This is beautifully written and a great encouragement to me, Rich. May God, who has begun this good work in you, bring it to fulfillment. You can do it! Sending love and prayers and smiles across the miles. —Marie