He went out, not knowing where he was to go.–Hebrews 11:8
All of today’s readings speak about people on the move in search of a new homeland. As Christians, we are all migrants journeying with others; all of us responding to God’s call to journey towards God’s concept of home, one built on the foundations of justice, mercy, virtue, and love. Our task is to animate lives of service and solidarity with others who may have had different life experiences than ours.
One of the best experiences of accompaniment that I have found is in building Habitat for Humanity homes for working poor families, who sometimes come from far away countries. My husband and I have volunteered with Habitat Wake County for many years and, back in 2010, we decided to initiate another effort. Knowing that we needed lots of helping hands, I decided to put out an appeal in our area parishes’ bulletins. “But,” I said to Chris, not wanting to get our hopes up, “nobody ever reads the bulletin.”
Want to see how God works–the Catholic Coalition will, hopefully, be building our 16th Habitat house starting this Fall. We will get to meet a new family. Parish bulletins turned out to be a wonderful conduit as the Coalition has consisted of the following: St. Luke and Our Lady of Lourdes (the 1st two parishes with the funds back in 2010), St. Andrews in Apex, St. Raphael, St. Joseph, St. Francis, and Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. In the past, St. Mary in Garner, Cardinal Gibbons High School, NCSU Catholic Campus Ministry, and Catholic Young Adults joined us and may again.
The riches of this journeying together is so much more than just the end product of sturdy, well-built homes for lovely families. Treasures include a manifestation of what it means to live a Christian life; the forming of friendships united in a common cause; the expansion of each of our worldviews and understandings; and the pure experience of selfless love. I often felt keenly Jesus, the carpenter, journeying among us.
Like the ancient Hebrews who knew that they had to escape from certain death in Egypt, to Abraham who began his journey into the unknown in faith, to Jesus, in today’s Gospel, urging followers to not be afraid, we are tasked to step out of our comfort zones and do the same. This is the way of Jesus.
To join the Cathedral Habitat team, contact Walt Milowic at socialconcern@hnojnc.org
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC