ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Beloved members of the Haitian community in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia,
Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,

We come here this evening in grief and anguish, in deep solidarity with the suffering people of Haiti and with unbreakable hope in our loving and merciful God.

Our desire is to be spiritually close to all those in pain and desperation, to support them by our prayers and to ask God to grant eternal life in heaven to all those who have perished.  At the same time we gather together in a great commitment to join the universal effort to assist all the needy who cry out from the depths of their pain for help and understanding, for the assistance needed to survive and be restored to human dignity.

Since that devastating earthquake last Tuesday, January 12th, which ravaged Port au Prince and brought death to so many thousands of people, including Archbishop Joseph Miot, the chief shepherd of the Archdiocese, we hear the voices of the suffering survivors cry out to us in the desperation expressed centuries ago in the Book of Lamentations: “My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the Lord.  The thought of my homeless poverty...leaves my soul downcast within me.”

Our Responsorial Psalm this evening continues to express well the anguished confidence of our brothers and sisters in pain: “O shepherd of Israel, hearken....  Rouse your power....  Let us see your face, Lord and we shall be saved.”

We know, dear friends, that even as our brothers and sisters in Haiti plead with God to rouse His power to help them and to let them see His face, they are counting also on the help of our prayers and our urgent assistance.  It is part of God’s loving plan for human solidarity to reveal His face through ours and to exercise His power through our generosity and collaboration.

With these sentiments and in this spirit of showing forth God’s own face of mercy through our prayers and deeds, we are able to respond to their plea with  further words from the Book of Lamentations, saying:  “The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness....  It is good to hope...for the saving help of the Lord.”

For our suffering brothers and sisters in Haiti the present moment is all about the need for mercy and love and salvation.  These their sentiments are clearly expressed also in Psalm 23: “Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy” (cf. v. 2).

Dear friends: the only human power that can match and far surpass the devastating force of the natural disaster that has struck the beloved Haitian people is the power we have both to pray and to show compassionate solidarity with the afflicted.  These two activities we embrace together this evening as we remind one another of the strengthening words of Saint Paul that were proclaimed just before our Gospel:  “Blessed be the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction.”

In our prayer we are united with our Haitian brothers and sisters, sharing their hope and trust in God’s mercy and love.  And it is in this prayer of the Mass which we offer now that we renew our strong commitment to do everything possible to reflect the compassionate face of the Lord in their regard.

This coming weekend (January 16-17) the annual collection is being taken up throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to assist the work of Catholic Relief Services.  This emergency agency of the Bishops, ever vigilant for the urgent needs of people throughout the world, is hard at work in Haiti now, and it will continue its dedicated work there uninterruptedly.  So many of its general resources are being used to help our Haitian brothers and sisters.  But in addition, a special collection totally given for those suffering from the earthquake in Haiti and for the rebuilding of their lives, their homes and institutions will be taken up the following weekend (January 23-24).  I appeal to all the people of the Archdiocese to show the maximum measure of generosity in contributing to this cause of Haitian relief and assistance.

As we share our charitable contributions for preserving and uplifting the lives of our Haitian brothers and sisters, we also share with them and with one another our trust in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.  We recall once again the event recounted in this evening’s Gospel.  As a result of a violent storm at sea, the Apostles were in peril of losing their lives.  They reminded Jesus, who had been asleep in the boat, that they were perishing.  In response to their prayer, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea: “Quiet.  Be still!”  But even in those circumstances He required the Apostles to make an act of faith and trust, even as He intervened to save them.

Dear friends: Today as we pray and renew our commitment to generous solidarity, we also proclaim our trust in a loving and merciful God, who watches over His people, even in the greatest of afflictions, and who, through us, is always prepared to reveal His face of mercy and compassion.  And to see this face of God in us is the desire of our Haitian brothers and sisters, who continue to cry out: “Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.”  Amen.