ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Friends in Christ,

The holy season of Lent is an invitation from God, a call into the desert of our minds and hearts, to examine our lives as Christians. During this sacred time, we are lured by a loving God, who calls us to be renewed by engaging in three Gospel-inspired activities: fasting, works of mercy and prayer. In the midst of busy lives maintained at a hectic pace, these three hallmarks of Lent remind us, as Jesus reminded Martha, "There is need of only one thing." For us, that one thing is union with Christ.

How fortunate we are in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to be celebrating today the feast of a local saint whose life demonstrates what it means to be united to Christ. Saint Katharine Drexel inspires us in so many ways to perseverance in sacrifice, diligence in works of mercy and constancy in prayer. Saint Katharine Drexel is a stellar model of what it means to embrace the Gospel call to holiness and service, both of which led her to sacrifice much and to love profoundly.

As a very young woman, Katharine Drexel, inherited twenty million dollars, which, in the 19^th Century, was similar to having 200 million dollars in our own day. Such a fortune assured Katharine of a very comfortable and enviable life of privilege and prestige. Even more than the family wealth, Saint Katharine was fortunate to grow up in a loving home. Although her mother died while Katharine and her sister were quite young, they were blessed with a caring father and a loving, nurturing stepmother.

While raised in happy and prosperous surroundings, Katharine was not isolated from the realities of her day. As a young girl, she witnessed the genuine charity of her stepmother, who regularly opened her door to the poor and needy. The example of her stepmother, who with compassion and tenderness brought hope and relief to those in need, helped to form Katharine into a woman of active charity. Further, this charity was the fruit of an authentic family piety. Devotion and family prayer were significant in the Catholic atmosphere of the Drexel household.

Certainly, the example of Christian charity, as practiced by her family, was recalled by this impressionable young woman while on a tour of the American West. Observing with horror the destitution of the Native American peoples, Katharine knew that something needed to be done to bring relief and hope to those suffering such dire want. Soon enough, during a Papal audience, at the prophetic urging of Pope Leo XIII, Katharine would realize that she herself was called by God to bring the hope and mercy of Christ to the oppressed. To that end, Katharine Drexel would sacrifice her entire fortune. Her prompt detachment from worldly wealth show us that, truly, Saint Katharine Drexel is a model of perseverance in sacrifice.

Saint Katharine's relief of the poor was not to be done by mere contribution of wealth. Katharine offered her entire being, all that she had and all that she was, to bring mercy and hope to the most oppressed. Her founding of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament embodied Saint Katharine's vision to bring to both Native American and African American peoples the gift of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Further, against seemingly insurmountable odds, Saint Katharine sought to build up a society where all people were recognized as being equal in human dignity and able to live in harmony and peace. Saint Katharine established missions and schools which, she hoped, would accomplish her vision. Her active pursuit of this vision of a world of justice and peace demonstrate that, truly, Saint Katharine Drexel is a model of diligence in works of mercy.

The source of Katharine's strength was her prayer life centered on Jesus Christ whom Saint Katharine loved with her entire being. The self-giving Christ, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, was also the model on whom Saint Katharine's Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament would base their life and work. Saint Katharine's profound words indicate her Eucharistic spirituality and apostolic inspiration: "Ours is the spirit of the Eucharist - the total gift of self." The work on which Saint Katharine and her Sisters embarked could never have been accomplished unless it was anchored in prayer, the expression of our desire to be united with Christ, who deeply desires to be united with us. Even when poor health and advanced years prohibited Saint Katharine from engaging in missionary activity, her prayer united her with the Sisters and sustained them in their mission to those in need. Lovingly placing herself always at the feet of our Eucharistic Lord, Saint Katharine Drexel is a model of constancy in prayer.

As we enter more deeply into the season of Lent, may our lenten practices of sacrifice, works of mercy and prayer become more than means of self-discipline and mortification. Rather, may these always be the hallmarks of what it means for us to be Christians. Saint Katharine Drexel stands before us today and joyfully inspires us all to give totally of ourselves that Christ may be known and loved. Saint Katharine reminds us to recognize the significance of the family in forming young people with a Christian vision who will be fine-tuned to the call of God to service in the Church. Saint Katharine also gently invites us, in the busyness and haste of everyday life, to sit at the feet of Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It is there that Jesus will lure us away from the distractions of the world and speak to our hearts. It is there, at his feet, that we will learn that there is need of only one thing: to be united with Christ, our hope, our strength and our love.