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Hope at Christmastime Rick Mockler December, 2001 Last year at this time, Governor Davis was turning off the lights on the State’s Christmas tree -- an alert to Californians of an energy crisis. The crisis grabbed and kept our attention through the summer. By fall, however, events in New York demonstrated that “crisis” is a relative term. This year the Capitol Christmas tree is alight, but things are not back to normal. The very reason for lights at Christmastime is to counter darkness, and this year we have had more than our share of darkness. Light for us means hope. For Catholic Charities, hope at Christmas has often come in the form of special meals for poor families and gifts for children. This season it has also meant supporting families in mourning and the many who have been hit with layoffs since September 11. Times like these test us all, just Mary and Joseph’s pilgrimage must have tested them. They test our commitment to one another and especially to the most vulnerable among us. With all the attention to the September 11 victims and the ensuing war, it is easy to overlook the hundreds of thousands of indirect victims. Just in the area around the Los Angeles International Airport, for example, 10,000 people were laid off after September 11. They include baggage handlers, airline employees and food service workers, many of whom are now showing up at Catholic Charities’ St. Margaret’s Center near the airport. And what is happening in Los Angeles is happening all over America. In theory, government assistance should catch these folks. In reality, the safety net is the first target when the economy goes sour. In responding to the recent downturn in state tax revenue, for example, Governor Davis recently proposed cuts in assistance to struggling families -- including cuts in energy assistance funding, foster care, and child welfare services. Aid for the poor is being treated as expendable and as a means for balancing the budget. To get a sense of the stakes for the poor, try looking at life through their eyes. To many of us, the energy crisis was a rolling blackout and a bite out of our pocketbook. For the poor, however, it meant worrying about cutoff notices or having to choose between food and heat. As we’ve been reminded, “crisis” is a relative term. To many of us the housing crisis has meant settling for smaller homes or living further away from work. For tens of thousands in California, however, it has meant being squeezed out of their last affordable living space. Whether serving people that have lost loved ones, lost jobs, or lost their homes, the common thread in all of our ministry is hope. Catholic Charities Rachel Women’s Center in San Diego is a good example. It is far more than a building. Through the Center’s support, guidance and companionship, homeless women are healing and moving off the streets. The hope embodied in our care for the vulnerable today is the same that was announced by the prophets in earlier times: In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning and bitter weeping. Rachel mourns her children and refuses to be consoled because her children are no more. Yahweh says to her: “Weep no more and dry your eyes. There is hope for your future.” (Jeremiah 31:15-17) If Christmas is anything, it is a reminder of hope. Even as we mourn, Christmas lights remind us that there is something beyond the darkness. As the prophets reminded the Jews in the desert, however, reaching the light requires pulling together and embracing the most vulnerable among us.
Rick Mockler is Executive Director for Catholic Charities of California. Visit the Catholic Charities of California web site for more information. Rick Mockler’s e-mail address is rmockler@cacatholic.org.
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