“He used to say that nothing was so efficacious in winning the heart of God as a spirit of gratitude for his gifts and blessings. In this spirit he had the custom of thanking God often for the gifts from his bounty to all sorts of creatures, going back to the beginning of the world…… Read More »
“The Church is compared to a great harvest field that needs laborers, but the laborers are wanting. There is nothing more in keeping with the Gospel than, on the one hand, to gather up light and strength for the soul in prayer, spiritual reading, and solitude, and then to go forth and dispense this spiritual… Read More »
“… the poor we see with the eyes of flesh; they are there and we can put finger and hand in their wounds and the scars of the crown of thorns are visible on their foreheads; and at this point incredulity no longer has place and we should fall at their feet and say with… Read More »
We read in Sacred Scripture that Our Lord Jesus Christ, sent on earth for the salvation of the human race, did not begin by teaching; He began by doing. And what He did was to integrate fully into His life every type of virtue. He then went on to teach, by preaching the good news… Read More »
Lord help me to imitate your way of loving and acting: you said that you had come upon earth to serve not to be served. Teach me to show great gentleness towards all, To imitate your goodness in welcoming them. Like you, I want to love tenderly to be respectful to all those I meet,… Read More »
Open my eyes that I may see the deepest needs of men, women and children Move my hands that they may feed the hungry; Touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing; Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers; Let me share my possessions with people in need; Give me the care… Read More »
As an example of the impact your kindness has, here is some feedback we received from a SVdP client: We share a client in East Brunswick who we helped in the summer with an electric bill and we have been delivering groceries. Today when I was dropping off groceries she came to the car with… Read More »
When Pope Francis appointed 50-year-old Archbishop Konrad Krajewski to the post of Papal Almoner (an office that raises funds for and carries out acts of charity on behalf of the Pope) he explained that the Holy Father told him: “You can sell your desk. You don’t need it. You need to get out of the… Read More »
Pope Francis made his first trip of his papacy outside Rome to Lampedusa, a small island off Sicily that had become a flashpoint for asylum-seeking refugees. Tragically, an overloaded boat sank, killing hundreds of men, women, and children from Libya and Eritrea. There, he prayed, visited survivors, thanked those caring for the refugees, and put… Read More »
“For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favorable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practicing the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be… Read More »