Pope Francis begins his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 18, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Today I would like to talk to you about a man who made Jesus and his poorest brothers the passion of his life … considering himself a ‘universal brother’ and welcoming everyone, he shows us the evangelizing force of meekness, of tenderness.” (Pope Francis, general audience, Oct. 18)
While Catholics from all over the world continue the intensive synodal sessions in Rome to discern the future of the Catholic Church in “communication, participation and mission,” Pope Francis held his regular Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square to share his reflections on the inspiring life of St. Charles Foucauld, who was dedicated to silent evangelization through acts of kindness and inclusivity.
The pontiff noted that St. Charles, a 19th-20th century French soldier turned hermit in Algeria, did not start out as an altruistic Christian. “After living a youth far from God, without believing in anything other than the disordered pursuit of pleasure, he confides this to a non-believing friend: ‘I have lost my heart to Jesus of Nazareth.’ From then on, St. Charles focused on an intensely deepening relationship with Jesus.”
Our Holy Father summed up St. Charles’ transformation by saying, “He goes from attraction to Jesus to imitation of Jesus.”
The pope pointed out that “Brother Charles reminds us that the first step in evangelizing is to have Jesus inside one’s heart. He experiences an intense relationship with the Lord, spends long hours reading the Gospels, and feels like his little brother. And as he gets to know Jesus, the desire to make Jesus known arises in him; it always happens like this. When one of us gets to know Jesus better, the desire to make him known, to share this treasure, arises.”
In the midst of the violent crisis in the Middle East, the pope chose to speak about St. Charles de Foucauld because of his meek, tender, compassionate and welcoming presence with others. “Let us not forget that God’s style is summarized in three words: proximity, compassion, and tenderness. God is always near, he is always compassionate, he is always tender.”
Before returning to the synod listening and dialogue sessions, our Holy Father concluded his Wednesday audience with these challenging words: “Goodness is simple and asks us to be simple people, who are not afraid to offer a smile. And with his smile, with his simplicity, Brother Charles bore witness to the Gospel … One does not evangelize by proselytism, but by witness, by attraction.”
In the wake of the traumatic Maui wildfires, many have quietly, compassionately responded by donating to the Maui Disaster Relief Fund being administered by St. Anthony Church, Wailuku, in partnership with the Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation. More than 1,500 persons impacted by the fires have applied for assistance, with 217 coming from Maria Lanakila Parish, reporting more than 400 homes severely damaged or destroyed.
The parish’s Sacred Hearts School lost more than half its structures. Since then, the staff, parents and students have continued to draw closer together imitating the tender embrace of Christ, cultivating and sustaining their resilience and hope. The Sacred Hearts School Fund has already provided financial assistance for more than 200 public and private school students, which in turn supports the staff, many of whom also lost their homes.
Catholic Charities Hawaii has received more than 1,600 applications for assistance. It has already provided more than $300,000 in relief and has temporarily housed 55 people at a cost of more than $77,000.
To contribute to these efforts, visit the Sacred Hearts School website at www.shsmaui.org, the Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation website, www.hawaiicatholiccommunityfoundation.org, and Catholic Charities Hawaii website, www.catholiccharitieshawaii.org.
Meanwhile, parishioners from across the diocese continue their “witness to Jesus” through compassionate outreach in multiple meaningful ways. Recently at Mary, Star of the Sea Parish on Oahu, a dozen people gathered after the Sunday noon Chinese Catholic Community Mass to prepare a hot meal of sweet and sour pork, healthy vegetables and delicious bread pudding — all produced from donations — and quietly delivered nearly 100 meals to a homeless shelter’s hungry houseless families and individuals.
Food ministries at more than 30 parishes around the diocese continue to provide nourishment to families and individuals struggling with hunger. Many parish food pantries work with food banks to distribute food boxes to kupuna while others provide backpacks filled with healthy food for hungry keiki to have something to eat on weekends. Hale Kau Kau at St. Theresa Parish in Kihei, Maui, provides a daily meal all year round.
For more on these outreach ministries, visit the Office for Social Ministry at www.officeforsocialministry.org.
These are all ways of witnessing to Jesus as St. Charles Foucauld exemplified in his “evangelizing force of meekness, of tenderness.” For the full text of Pope Francis general audience talks, go to www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023/documents/20231018-udienza-generale.html
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
