St Elizabeth of Hungary

  "You did not recognize the time of your visitation." Lk 19:44

St Elizabeth of Hungary was born into and married royalty. She had access to money and power, but when her husband died on his way to fight the sixth crusade, she decided to leave the palace and follow Conrad, her Franciscan spiritual director, to Marburg where she continued her life of compassion for those most in need.  Conrad wrote that Elizabeth "built a hospice where she gathered together the weak and the feeble. There she attended the most wretched and contemptible at her own table."(1)

People of faith like Elizabeth, especially the married and families, are the ground upon which the church builds communities of compassion for the poor and justice for all. After all, it was the faith and courage of our parents and grandparents, so many of whom were immigrants, who came to this country and built, hospitals, schools, orphanages, soup kitchens and shelters because they knew that faith demanded they respond to the struggles they saw all around them.

Today, pray in gratitude for those who give their lives to care for those who cannot help themselves.

How can you live Elizabeth's values in your life?

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Defending the Poor

 Defend the lowly and the fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the lowly and the poor; from the hand of the wicked deliver them. Ps 82:3

The challenge to stand with the forgotten, the broken, the lowly and the destitute us a theme of Hebrew bible or as we sometimes call it, the Old Testament. God reminds his children to remember that they were foreigners in Egypt. When they do this, they speak the power of God's love and intercession to those who most need to hear it, the poor and forsaken.

Jesus repeats this theme over and over. Pay attention to those without a voice, to the blind, lepers and others who are though of as sinners. When we do this, we find our own salvation.

Who are the poor and forsaken in your neighborhood, parish, town or city? When we see them and engage them as people and don't rush to feed and dismiss them, we act like Jesus.

Who taught you the Gospel of Jesus, the friend of the poor?

Images of God

 Your word, O LORD, endures forever; it is firm as the heavens. Ps 119, 89

The psalmist is forever trying to find new ways to speak to and of God. God is our rock, the foundation upon which we build our homes, the ground upon whom we stand, the wall that protects us from our anyone who might harm us or distract us from God's ways.

God, David also assures us, is our fortress, the one behind whom we stand in safety, the one who is anxious for us not to be attacked, the one within whom we are safe. And God is our deliverer, the one who stands in our place to defend us and our reputation. More prosaically, God is like a limousine driver who provides a "ride" for us on our journey into mystery.

Today, pick any image of God and speak with God through the image you choose throughout the day.

Which of God's names is most attractive to you, and which draws you closer to God?

Unprofitable Servants

 "When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" Lk 17:10

Attitude is everything and nothing gets in the way of having an authentic Christian attitude more than a sense of entitlement. When we begin to think that we have earned everything we have, even if we have worked hard all our lives, we forget how blessed we have been. I grew up in a Catholic neighborhood. People shared freely the little they had. Our parents did everything they could to send us to Catholic schools and colleges where we would have an opportunity for a better life. They did not expect much from us in return. They were happy to give us everything they had, but they did demand that we work hard, and that we be grateful, and never take for granted what came to us because of the generosity of others.

This is especially true of faith. Our attitude about faith, about what we can contribute to the building up of the body of Christ, about others who think differently than us must be one of gratitude. In fact, our faith reminds us continually that all is gift. Life is gift, creation is gift, friendship is gift, prayer is gift, and all are gifts to be given away. When Jesus sends the disciples out to proclaim good news he is clear: "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."(Mt 10:8)

Today, check your attitude. Do feel entitled? Are you grateful for all you have?

Who or what has been God's greatest gift to you?