Evita Tiro Wada adjusts a drip irrigation system in Indonesia. Drip irrigation systems help farmers in Evita’s village adapt to disasters and climate change, ensuring year-round planting of vegetables. (Benny Manser / Catholic Relief Services)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” — Philippians 2:7-8
This passage from St. Paul’s message to the Philippians about the Christ’s incarnation is very profound, especially during Holy Week when we are called to reflect on how Jesus willingly emptied himself for all humanity and how we might be able to follow his example of selfless love in service for others.
During this final week of our Lenten journey, as we ponder the pascal mystery of Jesus’ sacrificial love, it can also be helpful to remember the saying: “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” The Son of God knew of the pain he would endure and still chose to suffer and die for our salvation. He not only accepted heavy crosses of excruciating agony through the crucifixion, but also embraced his suffering and that of the whole world and transformed his pain and suffering through total giving of self and unconditional love into redemption and hope for all.
The culmination of Lent in Holy Week’s focus on the Eucharistic celebration of the Passover and the Passion of Christ on the Cross helps us look at how we can empty ourselves and embrace the cross to be transformed into the hope of the resurrection. Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten Rice Bowl program helps us keep in mind the countless men, women and children who today carry heavy crosses of their own in various forms of hunger, homelessness and lack of security.
In these brothers and sisters, we encounter Christ as he walks that long road to Calvary. In these encounters, the Lenten practice of almsgiving allows us to help carry the cross of others by charity and acts of mercy and service.
Through this year’s Lenten CRS Rice Bowl Stories of Hope, we have seen several examples of ways our charitable giving has helped our global family transform challenges into opportunities to help themselves and others. In the last Story of Hope, we encounter Christ in Indonesia, where Evita and her family helped establish a community garden that yields harvests for all and created an alert system to warn and evacuate people during crises.
We have also seen Christ in each other during Lent — in our prayers, sacrifices and almsgiving.
On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Eucharist as the sacrament of service that ignites our desire to get out of our comfort zone and become Jesus’ hands, “washing the feet of one another,” caring for our neighbors near and far. Let us continue to imitate Christ by generously giving of ourselves with our sisters and brothers here in Hawaii and around the world, remembering that the passion of Holy Week gives way to the joy of Easter — when the fast turns into a feast of hope. And as we celebrate Easter, it is our responsibility as members of God’s one human family to continue participating in the pascal transformation of suffering into joy.
As we end our Lenten journey and begin the Easter season, let us remember and pray together the Rice Bowl prayer for Holy Week: “Holy God, be with us now as we meditate on your son’s journey to Calvary. Remind us that still, in this present day, many of your children continue that walk to Calvary, carrying heavy, difficult crosses. May we be Simon to those whose burdens are too heavy to be borne alone. May we be Veronica to those who need the touch of love and comfort. And may we, struggling with our own crosses, always remember your promises of justice, mercy and peace. Amen.”
For helpful Rice Bowl Holy Week reflections, such as the Global Stations of the Cross, visit the CRS Rice Bowl website at www.crsricebowl.org.
May all have a very blessed Holy Week leading to a very hopeful Easter season.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
CRS Rice Bowl Story of Hope
Located in Southeast Asia between the Pacific and Indian oceans, Indonesia has beautiful beaches, diverse cultures and nearly 280 million people.
Many of the country’s more than 17,000 islands are in the Ring of Fire, a region around the rim of the Pacific Ocean where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common.
Climate-related disasters such as cyclones also threaten the islands. Together with drought, they make it difficult for people like Evita Tiro Wada to grow food.
Evita and her family live on Flores Island, where she keeps a home garden for food and income. To help her family and community become more resilient against natural disasters and have more reliable access to food, Evita participated in a Catholic Relief Services program through which she joined a disaster preparedness group.
The group helps its community stay safe during emergencies like cyclones and earthquakes, creating a system to warn people to evacuate and identifying evacuation routes, assembly points and resources that can be used during a crisis.
The group also maintains a community garden, cultivating vegetables like beans, eggplant and water spinach to provide healthy food for families. The group uses a drip irrigation system that conserves water so the vegetables can grow even during a drought.
Evita and her group members also use the garden to teach people from other communities how to start their own.
To protect their garden from the wind and prevent erosion from the ocean waves, Evita and her group planted trees. They also cleaned up the river and other areas in their town by picking up trash, which helped prevent flooding.
“When I first joined the village disaster preparedness group, I thought, ‘What will I do or give to help the community?’ After I’ve been involved, I see the benefits of what the community and I did,” Evita said.
Meatless meals from around the world
During Lent, we abstain from eating meat to experience a little of the hunger that many experience daily. Incorporate this Lenten recipe from Indonesia into your meatless menu on Good Friday. Then, 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.
Sayur asem is a traditional Indonesian sour soup known for its sweet and sour flavor. “Sayur” means vegetables, and “asem” refers to tamarind, which is the key ingredient that gives the dish its distinctive tangy taste. The dish is typically served with steamed rice.
Sayur asem
- 4 cups water
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 red chili pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped; divided
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 chayote squash or zucchini, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup frozen green beans
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or lemon juice
In a large pot over medium-high heat, add water and vegetable bouillon. In a food processor, blend shallots, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, salt and 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts. Add mixture to the pot of water, along with the brown sugar and remaining peanuts. Stir to combine and cook for 15 minutes. Next, add the chayote or zucchini, green beans, corn and spinach. Increase heat to high and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tamarind or lemon juice just before serving.
Start to finish: 45 minutes. Serves: 4-5.
