Lifted up in times of fear:

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

Lent, this year, must hold deeper meaning for us than ever. We have experienced great suffering in our nation: attack, injury, death, grief, anxiety.

We are aware -- more than ever -- of such suffering year by year, even day by day, in the missions.

These times re-convince us of the great need throughout the world for the healing, loving presence of Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we know that it is in Christ, and only in Christ that we are sustained -- indeed, lifted up -- in times of fear and sadness and death, in times of seeming hopelessness.

"Hopeless" might well have been the word in the mind of an elderly woman in the midst of her own personal "Good Friday."

Missionary in Ethiopia

The story comes from Ethiopia. One evening, crossing a darkening forest on his motor bike, missionary Abba Leo noticed an old woman struggling to build a little shelter with some sticks and dried leaves.

Her people had put her out of their house: "They say I am too old and eat without doing any work."

In a short time, Abba Leo returned from the mission with a blanket, some food, and a sleeping bag. In the morning, he was back at the mission.

When Abba Leo told the people at the mission about the woman, they built a proper hut for the woman.

Called to help suffering

In Lent, we are called to look around us -- and look far away, as well -- and notice where people are suffering, abandoned, grieving, or anxious.

Through the Propagation of the Faith, it is possible to do all of this as we help those who serve Christ and the church in Ethiopia and in some 100 countries around the world: India, Angola, Rwanda, Pakistan, Bolivia, the Islands of the Pacific, and many others.

We don't come bearing blankets and food and sleeping bags. Our help is sent in the form of prayer, the offering of our own sufferings, and much-needed financial support through the Propagation of the Faith.

Support for missions

The Propagation of the Faith is the Catholic Church's central means of support for the worldwide missionary work of the church. It can operate only with the help of all of us who are committed to the worldwide mission of Jesus.

For many years now, the Propagation of the Faith has been asking for a special Lenten gift of (if possible) $40 -- $1 for each day of Lent. United with other Lenten gifts from people throughout the country, we make a tremendous difference in the lives and faith of abandoned men and women, orphaned children, village families, and the poor of overcrowded cities.

In huts and hospitals, in chapels and classrooms, in clinics and youth centers, and above all in the Eucharist, Christ is present to the people.

Won't you help support the presence of Christ in the missions this Lent through the Propagation of the Faith?

Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer is director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Madison. Contributions to the Propagation of the Faith may be sent to: Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer, P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983.