Feb
8
Orphans & The Face of Christ
February 8, 2008 |
I sat with my little girl last night talking about the things she has in her life that too many others may not - food, house, toys, clothes, the basics.
As I was getting ready this morning, I realized that I really didn’t discuss with her the most important thing she has that many other children do not - a family. There are millions - yes, MILLIONS - of children throughout the world who do not have parents - who are orphans, including too many right here in the U.S.
This issue is personal to me - I was an orphan until I was adopted as an older child. I was lucky - I was adopted by a great family who enabled me to get on the path to life success.
But, today is a good day to think about and pray for the millions of children who aren’t as lucky as I was/am. They are the orphans of the world left without parents because of disease, war, violence, poverty. They are the orphans who have no reliable place to lay their heads. They either live on the street or shuttle from house to house. They are the orphans who live in orphanages, group homes, or with whomever will take them in. They are the orphans who are thrust into unspeakable lifestyles and victimized by predatory and depraved adults.
Today is a good day to think about and pray for the orphans of our world because today the Church commemorates the life of St. Jerome Emiliani. He lived in the 15th and 16th Century in Venice. He was a wayward soldier who was captured and imprisoned for a period of time. While in prison, Christ got to work on him. He learned how to pray and started listening to God. After escaping from prison, he started his life as a new man. He dedicated himself to helping the orphaned and abandoned children of Venice, founding orphanages, a home for prostitutes, and a hospital. He founded an order dedicated to the education of orphans. He died caring for the sick.
St. Jerome is the patron saint of orphans and abandoned children. He is the patron saint for all of the millions of children without parents, without families. He is the patron saint of all of those orphans whom God has eventually blessed with families - because we never really forget, we are always mindful of how blessed we are.
And the orphans are not just in the Third World and other far-away places. They are right here in the U.S. We may have shut all of the orphanages, but we still have orphans. Look around at your world today. They are all around us. They are called “social orphans.”
Look at the foster care system where we have children not living with their parents. Look in our schools, where too many kids had to find a place to lay their heads last night because their parent(s) couldn’t or wouldn’t take them in.
But, there are also many other orphans who we don’t really consider orphans. They have families but don’t have the benefit of the full devotion of both parents. A child needs both a mom and a dad, yet too many families are divorced, leaving one parent partially or totally out of a child’s life. Children need their parents present in their lives, yet too many moms and dads work too hard and spend too much time away from home that their children are essentially growing up without one or both parents.
What are the solutions? Love your children - be a constructive and physical presence in their lives - make your marriage work, no matter how hard it is to do so - help those kids in your community who don’t have a reliable place to lay their head - look at taking in a foster child - look at adopting a child, whether from the U.S. or abroad - support organizations that are dedicated to caring for orphans - pray for all of these kids, because they need to see Christ’s face.
Orphans are mentioned numerous times in the Bible, especially in the Gospels. Us orphans have a special place in Jesus’ heart. Looking back, I can tell you the times that Christ and our Blessed Mother were especially present during those years - watching over me, protecting me, comforting me, consoling me, healing me. They appeared through the faces of all of the incredible people who helped me - my foster families, nuns, doctors, teachers, counselors, social workers, and ultimately, my Mom & Dad.
I know how lucky I am and I want all children to experience the love of a family - the love of God. I want them to see the face of Christ as I did and still do.
So ask yourself, what will you do to help make this happen? What will you do to be the face of Christ to the orphans who deserve a better life?
