Nobody has nothing to give
By Sister Irene Hartman, O.P.
"Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will — all that I have and call my own. You have given it all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me."
This Ignatian prayer is a clear example of how charisms are to be used — given back to God through service of neighbor, sharing with those God places in one’s path. The charism of "giving" has so many facets; hence, there is no one who can say, "I have nothing to give." Freely given by God, freely given to God’s family -- that is what the model of Jesus is all about. God was willing to give His Son away to humanity -- what more could God give to the world? And although no one is asked to give that much, God is the model for giving.
Early in her short life, which was to end when Mev Puleo was only 32, she learned that the practice of Christianity is a life of service, of giving. At the age of 14, she went to Brazil with her family to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer. On one side of the tourist bus she saw rich homes; on the other side ramshackle hovels, children in rags, many beggars. What kind of a bridge could Mev build between the two classes?
The young Mev developed great skill as a photographer and began portraying the life and struggles of the poor. She wanted the world to see what she saw through the lens. As she traveled through Third World countries, Mev wrote stories to accompany her photos, telling of the plight of the poor.
A friend wrote of Mev Puleo :
"She gave the poor a face, a voice in Bosnia, Haiti, in Brazil. She gave them a voice, but she lost hers. She who had helped us see their faces, could finally see no more. She became the poor she had loved."
Mev died Jan. 12, 1996, of a malignant brain tumor. She had shown a powerful aspect of the charism of giving. It is impossible to know how many persons opened their purses to the poor because of Mev’s photos, but she had given what she had to prick the consciences of those who otherwise might never have remembered that God has given all and wants a return.
A lanky boy from Oklahoma became a simple priest who was no threat to the rich and the powerful, but who affirmed the dignity of the Indian peasants of Guatemala. His complete giving of himself cost him his life.
The young Stanley Rather went to the seminary to answer the call to priesthood. He found it almost impossible to master the Latin which was required, but when he began ministering to the Indian peasants in Guatemala, he had no problems learning the Mayan dialect. Father Rather easily won the respect of his people, ministering as he did to 3,500 people at Sunday Mass. His pastoral duties also included baptism and marriage preparations, funerals, visits to the sick and the dying, training of catechists and eucharistic ministers, and filling the needs of the poor who sought food and medicine. He joined his parishioners and hoed in their cornfields, organized co-ops, always giving to better the conditions of the poor.
When violence came to his village, he said, "The shepherd cannot run," even though Father Rather was urged to leave. However, he did return to his home in Oklahoma when it became evident that his presence endangered his pastoral team. But his great heart ached for the people and he wanted to continue his great ministry of giving to the poor. So he returned to Guatemala.
Three masked men burst into his poor rectory on July 28, 1981, and killed Father Rather. His devoted parishioners were deeply saddened to lose their shepherd. After a funeral Mass in his church, his body was flown to Oklahoma for burial, but his family agreed to his peoples’ request and allowed his heart to be buried in the Church of Santiago Atitlan, where he had so faithfully served.