Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time June 19, 2016
Reading 1 Zec 12:10-11; 13:1
- My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God. Reading 2 Gal 3:26-29
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 9:18-24
Nde Kaarma….Buenos tardes… I greet you in the name of our sisters and brothers in southern Bolivia. I am a Presentation Sister from Dubuque, Mt. Loretto. I am honored to be able to share with you today about our Bolivian Mission.
Your pastor, Msgr. Miller and I share many things in common: we were both born on a farm in Cascade, both of us on Nov. 3rd, baptized in the same church, St. Mary’s, members of faith filled families, missionaries in Bolivia and… since his nephew, Brad and my niece, Julie are married, we share the same seven beautiful grand nieces.
We hear in the first reading from Zechariah, that a spirit of grace and petition will be poured out on the house of David, Will this same spirit of God’s presence and petition be poured out upon us?. What does this mean? Our prayer in Psalm 63 is one of longing, of thirsting for God. Paul’s letter to the Galatians reminds us that through faith, we are ALL God’s children in Christ Jesus. There are no differences among us, neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, we are all one.
In today’s gospel Jesus presents two questions:
Who do the crowds say that I am? Who do you say that I am? The later question is the basis of how we live our lives. After all, it really doesn’t matter what others say. What matters is who we say Jesus is for us.
I would like to share with you a couple stories to help you image life in Bolivia.
Every morning, Martha Maire, a Guarani woman with four children under eleven will get up early, send her oldest to look for firewood, while she goes to the creek to fetch water for breakfast. By the time her youngest, Juanita gets up, the mote (soaked and boiled corn, known as the bread of the poor) will be ready. She will make herbal tea from a plant grown outside their adobe mud brick home with a dirt floor. There is no furniture in the house however they have goat hides stretched out on the floor for sleeping and for sitting on. At present, Martha has no income, except for the palm baskets she makes and sells. Life looks bleak for her and her children. Martha was abandoned by her husband shortly after their youngest was born. Martha loves her children and will sacrifice anything for them.
Martha’s sight is failing and she will need eye surgery. Thanks to the donations of people like you, she will get the medical care that she needs.
There are four of us, Presentation Sisters living at the Bolivian mission in Entre Rios (meaning between rivers). Two are dedicated to visiting the rural communities, while the other two are working in the city.
In the past ten years, I have begun to work with the Bolivians that do not have an identity card (which is similar to a driver’s license with all the pertinent information of the individual). In some cases they are not even registered in the Civil Registry. Since they do not have a birth certificate, they are unable to receive medical attention, register their children or receive their social security pension which comes to around $30 a month. This is the case for Martha and many others.
Demecio Huanca and his wife, Basilia came to our door a few months ago. They have three children. Demecio was very sick, he struggled to breath and could not walk very far, he had developed tuberculosis. Since, Demecio and Basilia had no legal document to prove their existence, he was unable to get medical attention in the hospital. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, we were able to get help for him and his family. Just last week, the final paperwork came through and Demecio and Basilia both have birth certificates and identity cards. Now, they can begin the process of registering their children for school. Demecio makes Bs.60,00 (around $8) a day working from sunrise to sunset. His wife, Basilia offers to wash clothes for others by hand of course, and receives a dollar and a half per dozen. On a good day, she can make about $5.
Pope Francis presents a challenge for us in his reflection of today’s gospel, reminding us that the only way to know Jesus is through our daily lives. We can know Him by reflecting upon Scripture through the Holy Bible; by speaking and listening to Him in prayer; and by walking with Him in our actions. When we know Jesus in our minds, our hearts and our actions, then we can say that we truly know Jesus.
Please become partners with us at the Bolivian mission and help to make a difference by your donation. Medical needs vary from $5 to $400. Paperwork for documents ranges from $7 to $200.
In the words of the native Guarani peoples…Yasurupi tuicha. Muchisimas gracias….Thank you!!!
I would like to share with you a couple stories to help you image life in Bolivia.
Every morning, Martha Maire, a Guarani woman with four children under eleven will get up early, send her oldest to look for firewood, while she goes to the creek to fetch water for breakfast. By the time her youngest, Juanita gets up, the mote (soaked and boiled corn, known as the bread of the poor) will be ready. She will make herbal tea from a plant grown outside their adobe mud brick home with a dirt floor. There is no furniture in the house however they have goat hides stretched out on the floor for sleeping and for sitting on. At present, Martha has no income, except for the palm baskets she makes and sells. Life looks bleak for her and her children. Martha was abandoned by her husband shortly after their youngest was born. Martha loves her children and will sacrifice anything for them.
Martha’s sight is failing and she will need eye surgery. Thanks to the donations of people like you, she will get the medical care that she needs.
There are four of us, Presentation Sisters living at the Bolivian mission in Entre Rios (meaning between rivers). Two are dedicated to visiting the rural communities, while the other two are working in the city.
In the past ten years, I have begun to work with the Bolivians that do not have an identity card (which is similar to a driver’s license with all the pertinent information of the individual). In some cases they are not even registered in the Civil Registry. Since they do not have a birth certificate, they are unable to receive medical attention, register their children or receive their social security pension which comes to around $30 a month. This is the case for Martha and many others.
Demecio Huanca and his wife, Basilia came to our door a few months ago. They have three children. Demecio was very sick, he struggled to breath and could not walk very far, he had developed tuberculosis. Since, Demecio and Basilia had no legal document to prove their existence, he was unable to get medical attention in the hospital. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, we were able to get help for him and his family. Just last week, the final paperwork came through and Demecio and Basilia both have birth certificates and identity cards. Now, they can begin the process of registering their children for school. Demecio makes Bs.60,00 (around $8) a day working from sunrise to sunset. His wife, Basilia offers to wash clothes for others by hand of course, and receives a dollar and a half per dozen. On a good day, she can make about $5.
Pope Francis presents a challenge for us in his reflection of today’s gospel, reminding us that the only way to know Jesus is through our daily lives. We can know Him by reflecting upon Scripture through the Holy Bible; by speaking and listening to Him in prayer; and by walking with Him in our actions. When we know Jesus in our minds, our hearts and our actions, then we can say that we truly know Jesus.
Please become partners with us at the Bolivian mission and help to make a difference by your donation. Medical needs vary from $5 to $400. Paperwork for documents ranges from $7 to $200.
In the words of the native Guarani peoples…Yasurupi tuicha. Muchisimas gracias….Thank you!!!