SVDP CONFERENCE OF OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA

REFLECTION – JANUARY 2021

Serviens in spe – Serving in hope. This is the motto of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Latin, and the phrase is found twice in our Rule. The first instance is in the opening description of the “Purpose and Scope of our Service.” We read that “Members show their commitment through person-to-person contact. Vincentians serve in hope.” Much of how we’ve conducted our lives remains in a state of suspension as we wait in hope.  We wait for a vaccine and effective treatments for the coronavirus, but we wait knowing that a vaccination will not cure poverty, hunger, and homelessness. It will not heal political divisions and it will not cure racism. After the virus has been tamed, these ills will still be here. As Vincentians, we will continue to work toward root causes of these issues and we will remain deeply involved in providing relief from their effects through our charitable efforts.

As most of us have welcomed the new year with great hope, we also pause to give thanks for the blessings of the past year, 2020.  Here is a brief list*; please feel free to add you own:

• For all the new babies born in 2020… We thank you, God.
• For all hard-sought, worthwhile goals that were achieved, for discoveries that were made–especially those discoveries (like the COVID vaccines) that will benefit millions of people in need… We thank you God.
• For families and friends who grew in their appreciation of each other… We thank you, God.
• For all those individuals who looked out for family members, who checked on their neighbors, who helped total strangers… We thank you, God.
• For those doctors, nurses, aides, EMT personnel, researchers who worked on the front lines of the pandemic with courage, expertise, and total devotion… We thank you, God.
• For all those who, because of their work, helped to keep vital lifelines open: farmers, sanitation workers, truck drivers, aviation personnel, food distributors, postal workers, police forces, military personnel, teachers… and the list goes on… We thank you, God.
• For those who have grown in self-knowledge, patience, self-sacrifice, courage, and thoughtfulness of others… We thank you, God.
• For those who grew in prayer, who now speak with God with greater honesty, earnestness, frequency, and hope… and who listen to God with greater attentiveness, openness, and trust… We thank you, God.
• For the greater awareness and appreciation we have for our connectedness to our one global community, and for all the steps taken this past year to care for the health of the beautiful planet we all call home… We thank you God.
• For the renewed appreciation of our need for human companionship, for in-person conversations, for touch… We thank you, God.
• For those who, despite the very real pain and hardships of 2020, were still able to smile (albeit behind their masks)… and for those who made us laugh, thus applying humor’s balm to our painful wounds… We thank you, God.
• For SVDP employees, volunteers and donors who have continued to support our Mission and serve in hope, … We thank you, God.
• For all those who died during this past year—especially those who succumbed to COVID-19… We remind ourselves that our grieving of them only underscores the deep love and affection we have for them… We thank you, God.
• For all the other blessings of 2020… many of which we are not yet aware… We thank you, God.

Let us entrust 2021 into God’s loving hands, following the wise words of encouragement St. Paul offered the early Christians in Rome:  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12: 12-16)

Serviens in spe,

Lin Krell

President, Conference of Our Lady Star of the Sea

*Source:  https://www.melanniesvobodasnd.org/prayer-looking-back-and-looking-forward/