7 May 2023
Fifth Sunday of Easter
In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles we read about how deacons were created to help with the care of those within the community who were most vulnerable, in this case widows. The tradition of care for the vulnerable established by the early church has been a hallmark of the Catholic faith throughout its history. Whereas Eugenicists like Harry Laughlin advocated sterilization of alcoholics, Sr. Ignatia Gavin, C.S.A., worked to re-integrate alcoholics by helping to establish Alcoholics Anonymous. The urban poor considered expendable by Thomas Malthus were seen as the object of charity and love by Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy. The somewhat frail Francis Cabrini didn’t let a mere diagnosis of ill health get her in the way of founding dozens of hospitals and orphanages. The Church’s care for the poor, needy, and neglected, has a history that can be identified from that same church’s very beginnings. Our recognition of that history should stir amazement for the past and participation in those works in the present.