Blessings Aren't Meant to Be Hoarded

February is my birthday month ~ a time to count my blessings and realize how my life has changed over the years. That could be the theme these days for all of us as the Church heads toward Lent. Counting our blessings makes us thankful but also reminds us of our obligation to care for the poor and work for a just society that changes lives.

I take inspiration from the life and work of Dom Helder Camara when he said, "Christ teaches us more and more that all of us, without exception, have the same father and that consequently, we are all sisters and brothers ~ and yet, two-thirds of humanity is living in subhuman conditions of poverty and starvation.

It's a pity that, as we continue to extend the limits of intelligence and creativity, we continue to be so limited, so grossly selfish and so incapable of imagining a world without empires to control, without oppressors and oppressed. We must suggest, teach and persuade... and one day finally discover the nuclear force of Love!"

Certain times of the year, personal dates and communal dates, help us to remember to count our blessings ~ but let's remember too, that it doesn't stop there ~ those blessings are meant to be shared!