Talk story: Contemplating God’s face

OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY

“The contemplation of God’s wonders, the contemplation of God’s face, of the Lord’s face, must move us to the service of others.” (Pope Francis, Messages for Lent 2023)

This year the papal messages for Lent highlight contemplation and service as vital for coming closer to God. During this solemn season, the Holy Father is reflecting on how the Transfiguration of Jesus reveals the beauty of God’s transformative love. The pope points out that by focusing contemplation on Christ’s face transfigured in our midst, we can see the beauty of God’s transforming love that surrounds us, “even when it bears the mark of the cross.”

Through the contemplative focus of Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we can “learn to see the same beauty on the faces of the people who walk beside us every day — family, friends, colleagues who take care of us in the most varied ways. How many luminous faces, how many smiles, how many wrinkles, how many tears and scars reveal love around us!” This Lenten contemplation focused on the face of Christ in the world can lead us to deepen our love of God and neighbor through “service of others.”

There are many ways in our diocese to see the beauty of God’s transforming love in the faces of others. At Mary, Star of the Sea Church on Oahu, parishioners recently established their Ministry for Persons with Disabilities by welcoming persons with varying gifts and abilities to celebrate the “Ohana Mass.” This beautiful eucharistic celebration included signing for the deaf and altar servers with Down syndrome and autism. Parishioners experienced Mass through the eyes of the blind and heard the Word through sign language, together as one Ohana. Some were new to Mary, Star of the Sea, so ushers who are members of the Knights of Columbus offered a warm welcome and escorted them to the designated pews where they were able to better participate in the Eucharist and clearly see the beautiful sign language by a teenager whose mother has transformed her hearing loss into a special gift filled with visual expression.

The pastor’s homily called all in the congregation to contribute their gifts by actively participating in the Mass as part of the parish’s Eucharistic Revival. Later, the community continued the breaking of bread at a potluck supper where all joyfully served each other with nourishing food and aloha, further revealing Christ’s face of God’s love. These “Ohana Masses” and potluck fellowship will continue on the fourth Saturday of each month, 5:30 p.m., at Mary, Star of the Sea where all are welcomed to celebrate and share their gifts as one Ohana.

Pope Francis’ messages for Lent 2023 also tell us that “the Lord speaks to us through our brothers and sisters, especially in the faces and the stories of those who are in need.” The CRS Lenten Rice Bowl program provides faces and stories around the world that reveal God’s transforming love through service with others. This year the second Lenten Rice Bowl’s Story of Hope is from the Philippines where farmers are learning about the importance of diversifying their livelihoods in order to improve their sources of income and nutrition for their families. Raul and Rhodora Enecillo live on their farm in Northern Samar, Philippines, with their granddaughters Loraine and Kate.

Raul and Rhodora get up at 5 a.m. each day to tend to the fishpond, pigs and chickens before getting their granddaughters off to school. Education is important to Raul and Rhodora. Their dream is that Loraine and Kate will graduate from college and get good jobs — Loraine wants to be a doctor and serve their community when she grows up. For years, Raul and Rhodora worked hard as coconut farmers. After harvesting, they prepared the coconuts for making oil — but it took a lot of work before they made money. On top of that, periods of heavy rain caused flooding, making farming difficult.

Then Raul and Rhodora participated in a Catholic Relief Services program where they received training and assistance to build their own fishpond. They bought little fish to stock the pond, fish food and a net. The fish grew bigger, and soon they were able to sell them at the market. The fishpond provided nutritious food for their community and their family so they can all enjoy nutritious meals together.

In the program, Raul and Rhodora also learned how to better prepare for the increasing natural disasters in their area — like typhoons, flooding, earthquakes and landslides. They made improvements to their house, using stronger, sturdier materials to protect their home, family, and community. Since joining the program, they added two more fishponds along with pigs and chickens. This transformative experience is reflected in the faces of Raul and Rhodora now full of hope in a better future for all.

For more about the CRS Lenten Rice Bowl resources, please visit the CRS website www.crsricebowl.org. For more on the Ohana Mass and Pope Francis Lenten messages, please see the Office for Social Ministry website, www.officeforsocialministry.org. This Lent through contemplation of God’s transforming love in the world, let us, in the words of Pope Francis, “set out in order to bring the light we have received to others as well, through concrete acts of love diving into our daily occupations more generously, loving, serving and forgiving with greater earnestness and willingness. Amen.”

Mahalo,

Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry

A meatless meal

Every Friday of Lent, we abstain from eating meat as a way to experience a little of the hunger that many experience daily. Journey with us around the world and incorporate these Lenten recipes into your meatless Fridays. Give the money you saved each week by not eating meat — about $3 per person per meal — to your CRS Rice Bowl to feed those in need around the world.

Ginataang Gulay

(Philippines)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 cups of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 14-ounce cans of full fat coconut milk

1 cup of long beans or regular green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

1-3 Thai chili peppers, or serrano chili peppers, sliced

Salt to taste

4 cups of steamed white rice

In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the onion and continue to sauté until soft and translucent. Add the squash and pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, or until the squash is soft. Stir in the green beans. Then add the sliced chili peppers and salt to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the green beans are tender. Serve over steamed white rice. Makes 4 servings.