Reflections of Caritas

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” – James 2:14

It was 2010, and I was in my third year of studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That year I joined the Marquette Liturgical Choir. 

It was a close-knit community where I met many wonderful people who became good friends. We were blessed with an excellent Choir Director, who taught us that liturgical music was truly a ministry. She helped us understand that our responsibility was to help people pray, not to put on a performance. Needless to say, the friendships, the education, and the beauty of the choral music were all instrumental – pun intended – for deepening my faith.

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“Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.” – Isaiah 35:4

I don’t know about you, but I am a worrier. 

I worry about the future, and I rehash the past. I get nervous when I meet new people, and I fret about what others think of me. I worry about the well-being of my loved ones and lament the countless troubles in our culture. 

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“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” – James 1:27

There are many children in Uganda, but one particular child holds a special place in my heart. His name is Benedict, and I have been supporting him through CARITAS For Children’s Catholic child sponsorship programs since the beginning of 2015. I had the chance to visit him and his classmates for a few weeks during my recent trip to Uganda with my fiancé Catherine and CARITAS Founder Christopher Hoar. 

My relationship with Benedict has already taught me a lot about love. He is an orphan, and although I feel more like his big brother than a father-figure, getting to know him has given me a true glimpse into what it feels like for a dad to love his child. 

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“If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve…As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15

The Scripture passages for this Sunday tell us that now is the “moment of truth.” We must decide whether or not we will serve the LORD.

In the first reading from the Old Testament we encounter Joshua as an old man preparing for death. He was the great successor of Moses and had led the Israelite people into the Promised Land. Addressing the people at the very end of his life, he challenged them to make a decision: either continue flirting with the false gods of their neighbors or return to following the one, true God.

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