When love is absent on the part of one or both of the parties in a relationship, it is destined to fail. Recently, somewhere south of the Platte River in the Diocese of Lincoln, a woman was forced to leave her abusive husband. She suffered terribly from physical, verbal and psychological abuse.
After mustering the courage to finally leave, she enlisted the help of the sheriff’s department to retrieve her clothing and personal belongings. She found her clothes slashed and kitchenware destroyed. So overwhelmed with grief, she became ill, most likely caused by the psychological trauma, and was unable to work. After collecting her last paycheck, her car broke down.
In the midst of profound despair, she found out about Catholic Social Services. After helping her with the laundry list outlined above, she now is filled with hope, confident she will be able to make it on her own.
In Father Donald Haggerty’s latest book entitled, “The Contemplative Hunger,” he states, “There will always be souls who meet the poor at some point in their lives and find in the encounter, whether they realize it or not, an invitation to a permanent search for God. They are unable to leave the poor alone once the real misery of a poor person has pierced their soul.”
When reading these words, I reflected on the countless donors I have met and have known over the years. Once they see in the concrete what happens after a generous gift, whether material, financial or both, they become ‘hooked,’ and become regular supporters, all for motivations of love… the love of God present in their neighbor.
At our last “Bountiful Harvest” banquet held in Hastings, Connie and Larry Consbruck purchased a gourmet, multi-course meal on the silent auction. With the assistance of my administrative assistant, Pat Walbrecht, we drove to their beautiful home and served a meal with a Czech theme (except for the many flavors of gelato and sorbetto we transported in our portable freezer!). The proceeds, of course, were used to help individuals like the woman who was mentioned above.
I would like to thank the Consbrucks and ALL of our donors who support Catholic Social Services for no other reason than their love of God. Please never forget that our benefactors remain in our daily prayers and Masses.
