May 2008
Here is our latest edition of the Mission Year Recruitment Newsletter. As you unwind from a busy day, a busy semester, or a busy season please prayerfully consider applying to Mission Year. We already have a lot of great young adults who have committed themselves to the 2008-2009 year but we are in need of a lot more! If you are ready to be a positive influence in the lives of your neighbors, roommates, and city and be so positively impacted by them in return, APPLY NOW!
Have a great month and remember to live what matters!
In search of Beloved Community,
Sarah Bell, Dir. Of Recruitment/Admissions
A Lesson from St. Francis
From St. Francis & the Cross: reflections on suffering, weakness, and joy by Raniero Cantalamessa & Carlo Maria Martini (pg. 56-58)
That moment came when Francis met the leper. If there was anything that Francis dreaded (as he himself said), it was the sight of lepers, even from a distance. He was about to run away from the leper when a force began to work within him. This force, alien to his nature, led him to stop, turn around, and get off his horse. Then he offered the leper alms and kissed him.
Francis described this episode in his life in rather terse words: “I had pity on them.” However, various Franciscan writers tell us the full story. Francis did not simply kiss the leper and forget about him or about this meeting with him. This episode was the beginning of a relationship between him and lepers that continued throughout his entire life. He called lepers “my Christian brothers.” As tommaso da Celano writes:
Then the holy lover of complete humility went to the lepers and lived with them, serving them most diligently for God’s sake; and washing all foulness from them, he wiped away also the corruption of the ulcers. So greatly loathsome was the sight of lepers to him at one time, he used to say, that, in the days of his vanity, he would look at their houses only from a distance of two miles and he would hold his nostrils with his hands. But now, when by the grace and power of the Most High he was beginning to think of holy and useful things, while he was still clad in secular garments he met a leper one day and, made stronger than himself, he kissed him. From then on he began to despise himself more and more, until by the mercy of the Redeemer, he came to perfect victory over himself.
It would be easy to misinterpret Francis’ gesture by simply reducing it to an expression of his sensitivity for the poor and the afflicted. It has been said at times that Francis’ conversion to the poor was the determining factor in his conversion to God. But the importance of this moment lies elsewhere.
Francis, in kissing the leper, overcame his own desires. He made a choice between himself and God – between saving his life or losing it. He was “made stronger than himself,” as Tommaso da Celano noted, thereby laying the foundation for following Christ by denying himself (see Mk. 8:34)
His great venture into holiness began with a victory over his own self. This is true conversion.
This does not mean that our neighbor (in this case the leper) is not important in his own right. On the contrary. Saying no to oneself and saying yes to one’s neighbor are two sides of the same coin, two aspects of the same decision. The first is the means, and the second is the end.
In Christianity, self-denial is not an end in itself. Rather, it is the most perfect way of opening ourselves up to others and to God. In order to help others, we first of all need to die to ourselves. This is the way in which we incarnate the fundamental law of Christian sacrifice, in which the recipient of the sacrifice is God but the beneficiary is one’s neighbor. This parallels Christ’s handing himself over to the Father for us (see Eph 5:2)
Highlight of the Month
This month’s highlight is July 1, 2008. This is our application deadline! All applications need to be in by that date in order to be considered for Mission Year 2008-2009. The application process is easy. You can apply online or request a paper application). Your two references can fill out their reference forms online as well! Once we have received your application and references you will have either a face-to-face or phone interview. The whole process can be completed in as little time as two weeks! Imagine being able to solidify next year’s plans in two weeks! Wouldn’t that be a nice way to start your summer break?! So remember, we’d love to see your application as early as today but if you tend to be somewhat of a procrastinator, you have until July 1.
Faith Nugget
“He Grants Me Peace”
by Mama Brenda Matthews
He grants me peace
In the midst of the storm
He grants me peace
As time goes on
He grants me peace
In a world gone wrong
He grants me peace
When I’m not strong
I’m looking for him
On September 11th
The walls of Jericho
Came tumbling down
Terrorist attacks
Suicide bombings
Anthrax scares
And Wall Street dictates
While the White House eliminates
And corporations eradicate
While families lie prostrate
I’m looking for him
I ask the question
Do we die
Or do we try
To look for him
He said trust me
Do not doubt me
I will not forsaken you
I will not leave you
Don’t you know I died for you
Red was the color of my blood
As I cried for you
You are my people
And I am
Your daddy God
If you speak
I will listen
While you walk
I will talk
While you run
I will cause the sun
To light your path
While you sing
I will make new melodies
To ring out in your heart
Come on now
I’m daddy God
I created the sun
The moon and the stars
I created the lilies of the field
I will give you peace
I will give you great days
Without heartaches and pains
I will lift up bowed down heads
Because you are covered in my blood
And my blood is red
Red was the color of my blood
When I cried for you
Red was the color of my blood
When they beat me for you
Red was the color of my blood
When I hung on the cross for you
Red was the color of my blood
When I screamed out to my father
It is finished for you
Not only did I die for you
I got up for you
And right now
I’m interceding just for you
And soon I’m coming back
Just for you
So my peace
My peace
I give to you
Urban Festival 2
It’s not too late to register for the 2nd Annual Mission Year Urban Festival! The festival will be in Atlanta June 13-15. It only costs $50 for the weekend and that includes meals, lodging, amazing speakers, great music, and unbelievable fellowship with others that are passionate about seeking God’s heart for humanity. You can find out all of the details and register at www.missionyear.org/urbanfestival. Hope to see you there!
Where to Go Next...
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Resources for parents of Mission Year Team Members.
