Pittsburgh Orientation: June 4-June 27, 2008
Departure for Jamaica: July 18th, 2008
A wise friend told me that one can recognize a calling by a simple test: a calling makes sense in the context of the rest of your life. My calling to this experience, to the Passionist Vision, and to the people of Jamaica, is one that is deeply rooted in my personal history and woven into the fabric of my present hopes. And, while this calling is mysterious in nature, nothing has ever made more sense. I have heard God calling, and I pledge to answer that call to serve, accompany, and learn with certainty and surety.
I have heard that to be afraid of the future is futile, unnecessary, even. God brings me to where I need to be, and I know that He does not abandon His children. But, fear can also be a sobering and constructive aspect of life. I pledge to have a healthy awareness of the dangers, challenges, and pressures that I may face, but I will not be afraid.
Service and prayer are intricately knit together in my mind and heart. To serve is to pray, to pray is to serve. Caring for another is by its very nature an act of worship. Human compassion is a way in which God is present on Earth. I pledge to ensure dignity, to respect others, to encourage, to support, to minister, for this is the way to live a life of faith and prayer.
A community is a gathering place. It is my hope that my community will be a place of peace, support, and strength. I pledge to listen, minister, befriend, trust, and share with my community. I am inspired by their gifts, bolstered by their courage, sustained by their presence. I pledge to have a listening heart.
I have heard that to be afraid of the future is futile, unnecessary, even. God brings me to where I need to be, and I know that He does not abandon His children. But, fear can also be a sobering and constructive aspect of life. I pledge to have a healthy awareness of the dangers, challenges, and pressures that I may face, but I will not be afraid.
Service and prayer are intricately knit together in my mind and heart. To serve is to pray, to pray is to serve. Caring for another is by its very nature an act of worship. Human compassion is a way in which God is present on Earth. I pledge to ensure dignity, to respect others, to encourage, to support, to minister, for this is the way to live a life of faith and prayer.
A community is a gathering place. It is my hope that my community will be a place of peace, support, and strength. I pledge to listen, minister, befriend, trust, and share with my community. I am inspired by their gifts, bolstered by their courage, sustained by their presence. I pledge to have a listening heart.
1 comment:
You are doing a wonderful thing in the Kingdom of God. I hope and pray that God will not only touch the lives of the people you interact with, but that God will strengthen your faith. The world needs more people serving for the Lord, rather than serving themselves. May your trip be blessed.
"The world has enough for everyone's needs, but the world does not enough for everyone's greeds." -Gandhi
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