For some reason, this year I took special notice of our second reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. I don't know exactly why, but it may have something to do with some of the interesting articles I read recently about people who are making a difference by using their God-given gifts in a spirit of service for others. In said reading, we read, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same spirit; there are different forms of service, but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the spirit is given for the same benefit." 

    There was a beautiful article in the National Catholic Reporter, the title of which intrigued me, "A Place for Renegades: Camden Community Confronts Dark Side of the American Dream." Said article speaks about a certain Chris Haw who speaks of himself as a mutt. He started out as a Catholic but moved around, first to the Willow Creek Community Church; then he went to Eastern University, a school with Baptist roots. With friends he went to Episcopal and Mennonite services, then about 6 years ago a certain Father Michael Doyle showed up at Eastern University and gave a talk on what was happening in and around his parish, Sacred Heart, located in a corner of South Camden, where one can see all manner of human misery and poverty, and where environmental racism is a reality. His response to the talk was moving to Sacred Heart Parish because, as he said, it sounded to him "like a perfectly awful place and he thought, 'I should move there.' It really was a combination of things I wanted to do and I didn't want to keep my life separated from the realities of life."

    A young woman, Andrea Ferich, heard the same talk and had a similar reaction. She said, "I was always interested in understanding the church as not just something on Sunday, but as a great vehicle for social justice. I came to understand environmental justice as central to the gospel and concerns for what people are eating, drinking and breathing as an act of loving my neighbor." These two are an example of the kind of people coming to Sacred Heart Parish. Ferich said, "I wanted to go and see how I could change the economic system from the bottom up.

    The article in NCR for December 25 of 2009 is extremely interesting and exciting and I would like to recommend it. I am sure it's available on the internet http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/place-renegades

    In our consumerist culture it seems to me that there's an effort to convince us that only the famous and powerful can make a difference. The fact of the matter is that God gives very special gifts to everyone, so it seems to me that from time to time we should take a little break from our fast-moving life and reflect on what our gifts are and how we are using them. As St. Paul says in the second reading, it is God who is at work in all of us and he wishes to work through us according to our gifts.

    Then, in the same issue of NCR, I found a wealth of examples of the wonderful use of gifts, and these in an Open Letter to the nuns who are the victims of the inquisition, or as some say, the visitation. I would like to quote part of that open letter for my conclusion to my reflections for today:

Your witness has a powerful impact. We highlight but a few of your myriad ongoing accomplishments to express gratitude for your contributions to the whole church:

• You created a Catholic school system and raised the level of education among generations of Catholics.

• You built and staffed a Catholic hospital system that continues to provide health care for those who are needy.

• You have long worked with poor immigrants as they struggle to find a home in an alien land.

• You share your rich spirituality in books, through spiritual direction, retreats, counseling, and pastoral ministry, including parish administration.

• You build bridges of faith by fostering ecumenical and interreligious practices.

• You embody the heart of the Second Vatican Council by the way you live.

• Your communal decisions reflect the social justice teachings of the church.

• You live a preferential option for the poor, and several of your number have been martyred for that.

• You are at the forefront of the ecological movement among Catholics.

• You lobby Congress on behalf of the poor and to promote peace. You oppose nuclear weapons, war and torture, even risking arrest and serving time in prison.

• You reject the death penalty, champion women's rights, support rights for those who are disabled, and advocate for equality for the lesbian and gay community.

Pope John Paul II called religious life the prophetic dimension of the church. Your leaders like Sister Mary Luke Tobin at Vatican II and Sister Theresa Kane in her gracious welcome when the Pope visited the United States have shown the way. We follow their lead.

Throughout, and after this investigation, we urge you to:

• Maintain your commitments and your openness to the Spirit's guidance. Your history is ample proof of your goodness.

• Keep speaking the truth to power in church and the rest of society. Your witness is more important than ever.

• Reject the Vatican's unjust demands, undemocratic process and loyalty oaths. Your vows and loyalty are to God through the whole church.

• Recommit to one another and to your ministries. Your love and energy are vital to a just world.

We, your sisters and brothers, salute you and support you.

We accompany you in these challenging times confident that your strength will prevail

We are among the present and future generations who shall call you blessed.

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