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Sts. Joseph & Paul Catholic Church |
Homily Archives | |
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Five years ago, I took my first mission trip to Cap-Haitian, Haiti. I went to visit a mission called the Blessed Pierre Tousaint mission, which has the charism of taking street kids – malnourished kids strung out from sniffing glue and gas -- off the streets, giving them food and lodging, and then offering them an education. Since this was my first time in
Haiti, we took a couple of side trips, so I could see the country. One
trip was to the town of Milot. We visited the community hospital, staffed
by American doctors. We also visited the ruins of an 18th century palace
and fort that had been occupied by King Christoph. The palace sat at the
bottom of a mountain and, at the top, was the fort that had protected the
country from invasion. There was a hiking trail to the top, and it was a
winding 1.5 km climb. As we were making the lengthy climb to the top, a native girl walked with us. She had several handmade bracelets and necklaces that she was trying to sell us. She knew we were tourists, and she thought we would be an easy sell. I can still hear saying in her heavy French Creole accent, “You buy for $3!” Over and over she repeated, “You buy for $3!” I had $3, but what did I need with a bracelet or a necklace? She walked with us about halfway up the mountain, and then she sat down, and I thought, “Finally, she’s gone.” We reached the top, and we toured the old fort. It was beautiful, with great views of the mountains and ocean in the distance. As we began our hike back down, the same girl sat right where she had stopped, waiting for us. The rest of the way down the mountain, we heard, “You buy for $3?” I honestly began to find it very annoying, and I bought nothing. It would have only cost me $3, which would have been nothing for me, but it would have been a great help for her. If John the Baptist had been standing on that mountainside that day, perhaps I would have heard him calling out, “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.” “Carl, prepare the way of the Lord. Give the girl $3 and help her to put food on the table or shoes on her feet. Better yet, build her self-esteem and tell her how pretty her work is.” Our path to Christ has many twists and turns, potholes and barriers that can keep us from being people of action. Faith calls us to action. We become so lost on the roads that we travel, it even becomes dangerous, and we risk careening out of control. My fear is that we get so caught up in ourselves, and the world around us, that we don’t see the people on this road who need our help. We, as
a people of God, have the power and the potential to do so much, if we
would only hear those words of John the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the
Lord. Make straight his path.” In our own community, we can help prepare
for Christ’s coming again. God’s love can help us straighten the winding, selfish roads that we travel. God’s love will give us the smoothest, straightest, most scenic route. God’s love will help us to take down the barriers and fill in the rough spots. That’s what God’s love does I bet if I returned to Haiti today, to that same winding path up the mountain, that same girl would be there, following tourists up and down the trail, trying to sell her goods for $3. It really bothers me that I didn’t help her when I had the chance. May the words of John the Baptist help us, so we don’t miss the next chance.
sdrose@bellsouth.net
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