Sister Act

Members of St. Peter's who are reading this blog will remember that Fr. Hipólito's Church, La Iglesia de Cristo Salvador in the city of Santiago is our sister parish -- members of the same family of Christ, serving the same Lord, and supporting one another in prayer and any other way that we can. So every time that I am there, it's like a kind of family reunion for me. I hope that some day other members of our St. Peter's family will join me down here, since it's highly unlikely that with visa requirements any of our family in faith from the Dominican Republic will be able to join us in New Jersey any time soon.

A couple of things caught my attention this morning. One was the epistle lesson, which was read by the Senior Warden, whose name is Esmerelda. To hear James' words about 'supposing a poor person dressed in rags comes into your assembly...' took on a new meaning since the majority of the people in Cristo Salvador are, in fact, poor. And the words, ' supposing a brother or sister is without clothing or daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead' took on a new immediacy and power, in view of what had happened before the service even began.

Fr. Hipólito noticed that there was a youngster in the front pew of the church who he had never met before. (Some clergy are very good at noticing newcomers...) Turns out this little boy of 11 years old had never been to catechism class or church before, but worse, had not been to school in months. What does he do? He has evidently been abandoned by his parents, and lives with his grandmother and his uncle, who expect him to bring income into the household by selling coconuts on the street corner. As tragic as this scenario is, it is made worse by the fact that he is expected to meet a goal of $100RDP per month. 100 Dominican pesos is the equivalent in USD of about $2.78. For that amount of money, this boy remains out of school, illiterate, with no hope for his future. The cycle of poverty grinds on because people simply have no options.

So, I took James' words to heart, and after the service I told Fr. Hipólito that I would see to paying the family the $100RDP so that Victor Emmanuel could go back to school. I think that the Rector's Discretionery Fund can afford that -- and more to get school clothes, and to pay books and fees. Anything else I could have done would have been nothing but faith without works: lifeless hypocrisy.

God give me a grateful heart for the many blessings in my life that I have taken for granted. God grant the sister relationship between St. Peter's and Cristo Salvador grow and flourish to the benefit of your people, the extension of your kingdom, and the honor of your name.
AMEN.