Greetings Friends,
The women in our community have grown to authentically show signs of joy at our Monday evening Community Meals. I have more than once felt my eyes swell with tears as I step back and see them talking and laughing and displaying the spirit that one prays for when in engaging in family meals. Meals are certainly sacred times. This is clearly displayed in the Gospel of Luke where approximately thirteen times we find Jesus at table teaching, healing, and enjoying` fellowship with sinners and saint alike . I would suggest that it is abundantly clear that meals are important to Jesus and that he used them to teach us how to live our faith.
At Bakhita House, at the center of our beautiful table, sits our Catholic Relief Service Rice Bowl which reminds us of those who do without food and basic resources. It amplifies our gratitude for the blessing of sitting at table together in a beautiful home that has grown out of the generosity of so many. For me, Lent has evolved since we launched our Catholic Worker Community. Our women survivors have metaphorically lived in the ashes so long. Lent can at times feel like a continuous journey. Yet, these Community Meals are what I like to think of as “Little Easters”. A feast of Lenten Sundays spilling into Monday– all year long! And gratitude is front and center as we grow through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
That being said, we do need your help to sustain this important healing experience! I may have mentioned that over three years ago a remarkable member of St. Dominic Parish had the idea of starting a Meal Train to provide our Monday Community Meal. This has been an incredible gift. One that just keeps on giving. It helps us economically, as well as giving us the gift of time to relax and really enjoy each other’s company. This spirit of fellowship truly heals. So why am I bringing this up? Well, we hope that as you travel through, and within, your Lenten journey you consider joining this effort by signing up to provide a meal or two. The link to this mission is under “Donate” on our website: https://stbakhitahouse.org/donations/ or you can go directly to our Meal Train sign up at https://mealtrain.com/g913nm.
Thank you so much for walking with us and for considering this opportunity to help build the Kingdom! And join us this Saturday morning for our monthly SoulCare Saturday Women’s Mini Retreat. Contact Laura at: soulcaremke@gmail.com to register.
May your days be filled with growth and a showering of Little Easters”,
Blessings and peace,
Anne
