Greetings!
This is the time of year when we bring you a message of Christmas hope, of a longing to open our hearts to all that is to come. We’re finding that this year feels a little different…
Our pandemic world changed much of what we knew and had grown accustomed to from family and friends, including simple hugs, sharing of food, and spontaneous visits. Everything was altered in ways none of us could have imagined.
This divide in our world between those with day-to-day comforts and those without became wider. Or did it? Maybe we simply became more aware of our Common Home and what is desperately needed to make things right and just for all.
At the retreat house we recently said farewell to 40 community members, many of whom had been living at Loyola House for the last 13 months. These folks were some of the most vulnerable, without homes and food, without family, without the most basic of human connections.
Humbling? Yes. A dose of reality? Most definitely. They all had stories much like you and I and, at some point, their story was altered, changing the direction of their lives down a path that many of us could not survive.
This season, I think of them and am full of gratitude for their gifts. Their stories were rich and brought us a glimpse into a world that everyone must work to make better.
I pray for them, for all living creatures in our community and across the world. May there be hope in their lives, may there be a shining light to lead them.
May God rest in their hearts.
Blessings,
Roger Yaworski, SJ
Executive Director
