Talk story
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
The 40-day encounter
“The Good News is no mere matter of words. It is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others.” (Pope Francis, Rice Bowl 2017 Lenten Reflection on Encounter)
On Feb. 1, more than two dozen persons from 14 parishes met at St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea to kick off the 2017 Catholic Relief Service Rice Bowl project. They came from distant St. Roch in Kahuku, Sacred Heart in Waianae, St. Augustine in Waikiki and places in between. Participants talked story about encountering God with “others” through Rice Bowl “Stories of Hope” from around the world about people working hard to rise above hunger and poverty. This year Rice Bowl 2017 includes a special story of hope about the Chuukese in Hawaii contributing to One Ohana: Food and Housing for All.
On Feb. 3, at Sacred Heart Academy, nearly 700 educators from 24 Oahu Catholic schools heard Rosalyn from the Office for Social Ministry share her own inspiring Rice Bowl story. Living in public housing, Roz’s parents worked hard to put their three children through Catholic school. Roz, upon receiving her CRS Rice Bowl project in the fourth grade at St. Theresa School, decided her Lenten sacrifice would be her daily bus fare (25 cents).
Roz cashed in her quarters for pennies to fill her Rice Bowl and walked home each afternoon. Some 40 years later, she met Thomas Awiapo from Ghana who told her that her Lenten sacrifice literally helped save his life. Last year, while Roz drove her five kids to St. Francis School, they used the Rice Bowl app on their phones to share daily reflections and prayers while on the road.
As Bishop Larry Silva says in his Feb. 22 letter to the diocese, “CRS Rice Bowl is not just about collecting money in a cardboard box. It is literally and symbolically a box full of stories of hope, prayers and opportunities to help put our faith into action and to share our Lenten journey with each other, transforming all our lives.” (See page 11)
As we enter Lent, the Gospel calls all to encounter Christ with our brothers and sisters in need. Jesus made that clear from the way he lived. A host of holy men and women, including Sts. Damien and Marianne of Molokai who are part of this year’s Rice Bowl, have responded to the call to encounter God with the marginalized. Now it’s our turn. With Rice Bowl resources at our fingertips, we can set out on a 40-day journey of encounter with ourselves, our neighbors and our God.
Through prayer, we encounter Christ present in every member of our human family.
Through fasting, we encounter those things about ourselves that prevent us from loving God and neighbor.
Through almsgiving, we encounter our brothers and sisters around the world, asking what we can give up so that others can overcome hunger and poverty.
Let us join Pope Francis and Bishop Silva this Lent in responding to Good News call to “leave ourselves behind and encounter others,” and encourage all to participate in the CRS Lenten Rice Bowl to “deepen our encounter with God with others and to witness to Jesus by helping the vulnerable create lasting positive change.”
For more information, please visit the CRS website http://www.crsricebowl.org/stories-of-hope/week-6 and the OSM website http://www.officeforsocialministry.org/crs-ricebowl/ or contact Roz at rfautanue@rcchawaii.org.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
