At the beginning of Lent, Pope Francis wrote to the people of Buenos Aires:
“The time the Church starts today is not for ourselves alone. It is also for the transformation of our family, of our community, of our Church, of our country, of the whole world… May we become collaborators who receive the grace and potential to recreate human life so that everyone may experience the salvation which Christ won for us by His death and resurrection.
“This year of Faith is an opportunity God gives us to grow and to mature in our encounter with the Lord made visible in the suffering face of so many children without a future, in the trembling hands of the forgotten elders and in the wavering knees of so many families who continue to face life without finding anyone to sustain them.
“We need effective gestures to alleviate the pain of so many of our brothers and sisters who walk alongside us.”
Pope Francis’ message is perhaps most poignant during Holy Week, and it points particularly to the work Catholic Charities does day in and day out to alleviate human suffering. Easter is a grace-filled reminder that the help we provide seeks to transform and create hope in the lives we touch.
Blessed Easter of joy, hope and peace to you and your families. Thank you for the joy, hope and peace that you bring to our world.
Monsignor Kevin Sullivan
Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
