A time of need

I was reminded of those past trips yesterday as I watched Jerry Lewis announce in a press conference that the format of the telethon would be altered a bit this year to also raise money for the hurricane relief efforts. Over the years, the format of the telethon had already taken on a drastically different look as it went from a Saturday to Monday event down to beginning on Sunday evening and running through Labor Day. Now, Jerry is going to make room for another cause to share the spotlight.

The enormous impact of the hurricane on people’s lives is almost beyond our comprehension. One person here was lamenting the higher price of fuel, only to be reminded that this was a minor inconvenience compared to hundreds of thousands of people in the Gulf coast area. Thankfully, this self-centered attitude is not the norm as many people and organizations mobilize with efforts to assist with rebuilding and stabilizing the lives of so many who have lost everything. I thought the response of the people in Houston, who are now going to host tens of thousands of people from New Orleans and the surrounding area, was appropriate. They suggested that they needed to help out their neighboring friends, as the hurricane could have just as easily hit Houston, and when asked where the financing would come from to support this effort they said they didn’t know, but it was the right thing to do.

The lives of many people have been interrupted by the devastation of this storm, and it is at times like this that it is difficult to comprehend God’s plan in all that is happening. It is not difficult, however, to understand that it is especially at times like this that our Lord is asking us, each and every one of us, to participate with the gifts of our time, talents, and treasure to assist those less fortunate than ourselves. Perhaps it is also a time when each of us can take a few moments to be thankful for everything that each of us has been given.

The response efforts will be varied and will be far reaching, but will all involve the giftedness of many willing stewards. The telephone rang at our house yesterday with a message that the blood mobile would be in town in a few days and was soliciting donors. Our bishops’ conference and the local churches are also responding to this crisis through a concerted effort with Catholic Charities USA. If you’ve not heard anything in your parish or have not read it in the bulletin, you can go to their Web site for more information at http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/katrina.cfm

Stewardship as a way of life is a journey and as each of us matures, both in years and as Christian stewards, we can come to comprehend the role we play in sharing with others. We can more fully understand the effects that crippling diseases and natural disasters have on our fellow brothers and sisters, both at home and throughout the world. We can more fully understand that each of us as Jesus’ disciples is charged with the responsibility and the obligation to share with those less fortunate than ourselves.

While we are called day by day to practice stewardship as a way of life, perhaps this tragedy will cause each of us to alter our own practices, our own ways of doing things, so that they more properly reflect God’s will for our lives. I pray that each of us, through our prayers, and through all of our gifts, will respond during this time of need and in the months and years ahead.