Now that Lent has begun, Catholics are spending even more time in prayer and fasting in the weeks leading up to Easter, when we will celebrate our Savior’s resurrection.
In honor of World AIDS Day, Pope Benedict XVI recently gave a talk at St. Peter’s Square: “The Church never ceases to strive to combat AIDS through her institutions and personnel dedicated to that task. I call upon everyone to make their contribution, with prayer and tangible assistance, so that people affected by the HIV virus may experience the presence of the Lord Who offers comfort and hope.
Please remember to keep our Kenyan ministry partners and their communities in your prayers. The situation there is truly dire. A severe drought is sweeping across the eastern African nation, crippling its agriculture-based economy and leaving entire villages without water.
In our work with the poor, we see so many dedicated men and women who have given up comfortable lives to help those in need — often moving to some of the most remote and dangerous places on the planet. The faith of these unsung heroes is a constant inspiration for us in the office.
One of the most-quoted parts of scripture is the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Here we are given a picture of what Christ means when he commands us to “love our neighbor” (Luke 10:27).
Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world. The reality of this statement hit our Africa project officer, Jim Kline, during his recent trip to visit the projects we support there. He described it this way: “The extent of the AIDS pandemic in Africa is kind of like the genocide in Rwanda.