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VOICES
Out of Louisiana
[See the prayer for victims of Katrina on our web site]
From
Billie Bourgeois of Baton Rouge, just after they returned
home:
“We are
readying our house for my daughter’s manager from NO who
lost her home. She is coming tomorrow with husband, father
and two boys. Once she gets settled in her new home, we’ll
probably have new refugees with us. Every house in BR has
extra people in it now. Our city doubled in size over night ….
It is now the largest city in Louisiana. The streets are
gridlock and we are actually fearful of venturing very far
from the house since stores have hour-long lines and gas
is becoming very scarce. All colleges and universities, law
firms and doctors’ offices, etc., out of N.O. are getting
set up with headquarters here. … Rumors have been wild. The
intense heat is an indescribable burden on the thousands
who have lost so very much…. Knowing your prayers are with
us means more than we can say.”
Billie
noted that many people who left their homes with only the
clothes on their backs have had to discard their soaked shoes
or, worse, continue wearing them. Shoes of all sizes are
needed and can be sent to the Baton Rouge Red Cross, 10201
Mayfair, Baton Rouge, LA 70809-2506. Phone 225-291-4533.
From
Gerry Stark whose home expanded overnight to 11 adults,
three teenagers, one baby, three dogs, a cat and there’s
another family on the way:
“There
are many difficult days, weeks and months ahead. It will
take all our strength, tremendous courage and unwavering
faith for us to survive this natural disaster and I know
we will come through this experience as stronger and better
people. Many from our VOTF family in Baton Rouge find themselves
in a situation very similar to mine. We are repairing our
damage, taking in evacuees, and volunteering within the community.
The need will be great for some time to come…. If people
want to know what they can do to help, PRAYER is at the top
of the list. My personal appeal would be not only for personal
prayer but for organized, communal prayer services on behalf
of all impacted by this hurricane. God will hear our plea
and will provide us with the courage and strength to follow
Him. Personally, I am spread too thin with basic survival
needs at the moment to do this, yet when things begin to
stabilize it will be at the top of my list…. We feel your
prayers, we feel your love and concern, and it is our source
of comfort and strength. We do not ask for this suffering
to be taken from us, only that we be given the grace to grow
into stronger, more Christ like people.”
From
Adele Foster in New Orleans:
Adele
and Mark Foster of VOTF New Orleans are "AOK" in Tennessee.
On their way there, they were stranded in Mississippi - no
gas. Because they could not take their dogs to a shelter,
she and her husband spent three days and two nights living
in their car in "...triple-digit temps and the bugs to go
with them." Their children were safely housed elsewhere.
“Poor New Orleans … whole sections are already
under water and fires are burning everywhere with no way for
fire trucks to get near them …. Turning off the electricity
and walking out of our house was one of the hardest things
we've ever done but we are out and AOK…. We are counting
our blessings and champing at the bit to return…. We
are so grateful to all of you for remembering us, emailing,
praying…."
From
Susan Troy, Prayerful Voice
In VOTF
our beginnings, our constancy, and our strength are grounded
in our collective experience of and reaction to suffering;
the suffering of thousands of children, victims of clergy
sexual abuse and their families informed us and led us to
enter into that suffering. We chose to act out of that suffering.
Today,
as the world watches the devastation along America’s Gulf
Coast, we are again confronted with the reality and mystery
of human suffering in a world we believe was created out
of love and for love. How do we proceed? We need to ground
ourselves in prayer and ask God to give us the wisdom to
act – to comfort and be comforted; to be the Body of Christ
in this broken and suffering world.
Please
consider coming together as an organization in prayer. Our
gathering speaks to our understanding of our total reliance
on God in face of this human suffering. Where are we to find
hope? How must we help? How can we begin to accept?
Perhaps
you too sang this Marty Haugen hymn at Mass this Sunday.
Perhaps you can sing it together when you meet as VOTF.
God
of Day and God of Darkness
“God
of day and God of darkness,
Now we stand before the night;
As the Shadows stretch and deepen,
Come and make our darkness bright.
All creation still is groaning
For the dawning of your might.
When the Sun of peace and justice
Fills the earth with radiant light.”
(Ritual Song #826, GIA Publications)
The other
four verses are equally beautiful and speak to this moment.
A recommendation:
There is a wonderful book by Daniel Harrington, SJ, Why
Do We Suffer? A Scriptural Approach to the Human Condition. It
is a broad survey of the question of suffering as it is presented
in Scripture. It is a very accessible book, and contains
much of the pastoral and scholarly wisdom Fr. Harrington
presented to his students at Weston Jesuit School of Theology
in his excellent course on suffering. At the end of each
chapter are questions and suggestions that assist the individual
or group in further exploration of the question of suffering.
This book could help begin a prayerful, ongoing, discussion
in order to break open what seems so impassable.
Another
comforting resource is Joyce Rupp’s Praying Our Goodbyes. [Both
books are available at www.amazon.com ]
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