I want to thank all of you for your outpouring of food, clothing, gifts, and gift cards to inner-city residents.  Over the past week, you have filled my garage with grocery bags for Saint Therese Little Flower’s food pantry and Saint James’ thrift store to help fellow citizens get through the summer and gain a boost in their lives.  Some of you even loaded your vehicles and generously took donations to these or other social agencies.  The Christmas-in-July program to support less fortunate families with gifts will continue through the summer and, of course, our efforts with food, clothing, and household items will remain a constant source of exchange at our inner-city parishes for as long as we exist.  Jesus reminded us that the poor will be with us always; and as the late Bishop Sullivan often said: “We need the poor more than the poor need us.”  I am overwhelmed by your charitable acts of kindness to those who suffer poverty.

These efforts unite us in working together beyond parish boundaries.  The church’s social mission and the Catholic Social Teachings remind us that we are each other’s brother and sister and that we are one in the Lord.  If you’re not familiar with the basic themes or principles of our Catholic Social Teachings, they start with honoring the dignity of every human person, acknowledging that each of us has been created in the image and likeness of God.  They continue with the notion of stewardship, i.e., that each of us has been entrusted by the Creator with gifts to contribute to the formation of a better world; we are, therefore, encouraged to offer our talents, treasures, and time for the betterment of our society.  We are to stand in solidarity with one another regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or other distinctions—as Saint Paul teaches, “There is no Jew or Gentile, slave or freeman, male or female, because all are one in Christ.”  With this sense, we can promote other aspects of the Catholic Social Teachings: economic justice, a preferential option for the poor, the advancement of peace, and responsibly working together for the common good with recognition of the rights afforded to every human person.

These commonsense principles are integrated into the thoughts and actions of many Catholics who grew up as active members of church and school communities which promoted faith-in-action and exterior works that manifest interior spirituality.  It is my optimistic hope that Saint James, Saint Therese Little Flower, and Saint Francis Xavier will provide meaningful opportunities for Catholics and others throughout the metropolitan area of Kansas City to stay connected to our social mission.  Jesus expounded upon this mission in His parable of Lazarus and the rich man.  We need the poor more than they need us because the poor prompt us to understand that “there but for the grace of God go I.”  We need the poor more than they need us because they offer us opportunities to express our Christian generosity; they remind us that we are all one, they help us grasp our belief that God will unite us in the world beyond, and they arouse us to embrace our Christian nature to love Lazarus.

Though today is the first day of the rest of my life, I realize that “the rest of my life” is not what it was forty or fifty years ago.  I plan to dedicate whatever time I have left to enhancing the church’s mission in the inner city because I believe that is where the need is greatest and that is where we can uncover deeper meaning in our faith and discover higher purpose in our lives.  If you are willing to assist in the social mission of the church through any of these parishes, I would be glad to talk with you about what your role might be.  If you are interested more in the justice mission that addresses systemic issues, I will be glad to connect you to groups that deal with concerns like housing, homelessness, racism, immigration, policing, education, etc.  You may contact me at frdon@stjkc.org.  There are no parish boundaries when it comes to working together for a more loving and wholesome city; we are all in it to the core.  Lazarus hungers near us there.  Thank you, again, for responding.