By Fr. Justin Fulton
One of the hallmarks of living in Nebraska is the automatic guarantee of being a Nebraska Husker football fan. It seems when you are born in this state, you get weighed and measured, you get your fingerprints and Social Security number, and then you get a Big Red Foam Finger and a husk of corn.
Whether you are a Husker fan or not, if you are in Nebraska you are inundated with the hysteria that is Husker football.
One of the great experiences at any Husker game—or any sporting event—is the inevitable experience of participating in “The Wave.” We’ve all seen “The Wave.” A section of rowdies yell and get everyone’s attention. And then they start it.
Section by section fans quickly stand up, raise their arms, yell a “whoooooooo”” and then quickly sit down. And when 90,000 folks at Memorial Stadium do this, it is a sight to behold: a wave of red set against the backdrop of a crisp, autumn day on the campus of UNL is a sight that gives people warmth and happiness.
There is a simple rule to “The Wave.” You have to wait to receive motion and then you give motion. You can’t give what you first don’t receive. In order to stand up and ‘wave,’ you have to wait until the motion of the wave gets to you. And then when you do it the next group “receives” their indication to stand and sit.
It is the same way with the love of Christ. We must first receive Christ’s love in order to give Christ’s love. And when we do this in unison with our neighbors, our community, our state, and our nation, Christ’s love is a sight to behold for the world. And that love changes this world for the better.
One way that CSS does this for south-central Nebraska is through our Food Redistribution Program. We are proud of our Hastings office, staff, and volunteers who coordinate this effort of love and service. Teaming up with grocery stores in the area, CSS takes food that does not sell and delivers and redistributes 205 tons of food yearly to needy and hungry families in the communities of 13 counties. Those counties include Adams, Clay, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hamilton, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, Red Willow, and Webster. We partner, receive, and give. In this light the Catholic Church unites people from all different backgrounds to shed Christ’s light and love to this region of our state.
Thank you for receiving Christ’s love and sharing it with the poor and hungry. May we live greatly and may we live with joy as we bring Hope in the Good Life! Thank you for your support and prayers for Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. May God bless us all!
