In your
relations with one another, clothe yourselves with humility, because God “is
stern with the arrogant but to the humble he shows kindness.” Bow humbly under God’s mighty hand, so that
in due time he may lift you high. Cast
all your cares on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:5b-7
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Eternal
Father,
You inspired
the Virgin Mary, mother of your Son,
to visit
Elizabeth and assist her in her need.
Keep
us open to the working of your Spirit,
and with
Mary may we praise you for ever.
We
ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.
From the Liturgy of the Hours
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| View of Ain Karem from the Church of the Visitation |
Today we celebrate
the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The familiar story found in Luke’s Gospel
Chapter 1 Verses 39-56 tells how Blessed Mother Mary set out in haste and
traveled to the hill country to visit the expectant Elizabeth, and the words of
praise to God which ensued as they greeted each other. It is easy to place ourselves into this scene
as two women reach out in faith, hope and love.
The Lord gives us opportunities to do the same every day of our lives. What is most important is that we see God in
each person we greet, share Christ’s love and peace, and be open to the
promptings of the Holy Spirit to “travel” - sometimes beyond our comfort zone -
in order to be a faith-filled presence to another.
On my first trip
to the village of Ain Karem, I had the privilege to “visit” the Saint Vincent
Home for Children with Special Needs. It
was founded in 1964, as a non-profit institution by the Daughters of Charity of
Saint Vincent de Paul, and works in coordination with the Israeli Ministry of
Labor and Social Welfare. The staff
members are Jewish, Arab, Muslim and Christian lay people working and living
together with four religious sisters. They are physicians, nurses,
physiotherapists, social workers, caregivers, a dietician and a speech
therapist. In addition, there is the office, kitchen, laundry and garden staff.
Also, volunteers from around the world generously help and support their amazing
work.
Saint Vincent
Ain Karem cares for 60 Jewish and Arab children. They range from one year old
to their early twenties, and they come from all parts of Israel. They are
children with special needs: this means that their motor skills (sitting,
walking, eating, control of movements…) as well as their cognitive skills
(talking, recognizing people and objects, understanding situations…) have been
delayed or is very slow. For most of the children, the disabilities are the
consequence of brain damage (before or after birth), others present with
genetic problems, and there are some for whom the cause is unknown.
The children
are lovingly cared for. Each child’s disability is taken into account. The
caregivers feel that they receive from the children even more than they give.
This is not easy to understand, it really has to be experienced, and once it
is, this feeling remains with you for the rest of your life. Seeing that a
child is free of pain or discomfort and that he/she can develop to his/her full
potential is an immense reward.
It is a blessing
to experience how the sisters and staff care for these special children of God in a joy-filled,
peaceful setting. At the end of our
visit we gathered in the sisters’ chapel to pray with them and give thanks to
God for the great things still being done in this village in the hill country. I will always believe that I received so much
more than I was able to give through this humbling visit.
For more
information on Saint Vincent Ain Karem, please visit:
http://svaka.org/
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| Mosaic detail of olive branch, floor of the Church of the Visitation, Ain Karem |
For
more reflections on the Visitation, please visit:
http://theapostoliclady.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html
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