‘A Savior is born for you’
CHARLOTTE — Christmas is the feast of God’s love, Bishop Peter Jugis preached at Midnight Mass in the early hours of Dec. 25 at St. Patrick Cathedral.
During his homily, Bishop Jugis emphasized the depth of God’s love for humanity in that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to be our Savior.
“All during Jesus’ public life, we see that self-giving love manifested, demonstrated over and over again in every word that He speaks, every one of His teachings, every miracle that He works – even to the point of his suffering, crucifixion and death – all of this is done because of His love for us,” Bishop Jugis explained.
He pointed out that in the Gospel reading from Luke 1:1-14, the Angel announces that a Savior has been born for us.
“The Angel says a Savior has been born for your sake, for you,” Bishop Jugis said. “And God does delight in doing this for you. He delights in showing you His love, manifested in His only begotten Son, Jesus.”
Christmas is the feast of God’s love for us, he continued.
“This love demands a response. Christmas calls us to respond in love, to God’s great love that He is showering upon us. That is the grace of Christmas, to move our hearts to greater love for God and for others. It does work,” Bishop Jugis asserted.
“This grace of Christmas we see evident all around us happening at Christmas time – how we seem to be even more loving, more kind, more generous in our service and giving of ourselves to others. It is a sign that the Holy Spirit is active.
“We call it the virtue of charity, one of the fruits of the Spirt. Charity, to love God above all things for His own sake, and to love our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. That is the love that God has placed into our hearts and that we are called to demonstrate and to return to Him and also to our brothers and sisters,” Bishop Jugis said.
“We all know that really is the path to happiness. Love God. This is what Jesus teaches us over and over again. Love God who has loved you so much,” he enjoined those present.
“It really is the path to happiness to give of ourselves in service and love to others. This is the response that Christmas asks of each one of us. After all, we were made to love God and it is natural that we should find happiness and find fulfillment the more that we do love Him and put that foundation of love of God in our heart into service for others,” he said.
Bishop Jugis noted that our love of neighbor is a beautiful expression of the love of God that we have in our hearts.
He encouraged the faithful to ask Our Lord this Christmas to stretch us to give more of ourselves in love to Him and to demonstrate our love for God in practical ways and in addition to demonstrate that love to others. And also ask Our Lord to stretch us to greater charity towards others
“Yes, it is the feast of God’s love for us and the Child in the manger is the convincing sign of how much He is willing to do for us and how much He delights in loving us and giving us His all,” Bishop Jugis concluded.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Photos provided by James J. Sarkis
‘A beautiful partnership’
Members of the Christian Responders of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte and Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte were part of a group of volunteers who attended a house blessing upon completion of a new home on Oct. 17 in Lumberton. (Photo provided by Amy Loesch)CHARLOTTE — Parishioners of St. Matthew Church have spent the past two years volunteering with an effort to help rebuild parts of eastern North Carolina that were devastated by hurricanes in 2016 and 2017, and they have recently been joined by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte staff to help build a home in Lumberton.
The south Charlotte area church members have given their time, talent and treasure to Christian Responders, originally called “Lumberton Ministry,” created as part of the larger Family Life Ministry of St. Matthew Church to reach out to those hurt by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. They partner with the N.C. Conference of United Methodist Churches to serve people in need throughout the Lumberton area, helping disaster survivors and offering long-term disaster recovery assistance.
Parishioners volunteering with Chrstian Responders made their first trip to Lumberton in May 2017, after coordinating with NCCUMC’s local disaster response team, Jeff and Ann Wade. Volunteers traveling to the area were provided with lodging at the Chestnut Street Methodist Church and direction for each building project. Similar to Habitat For Humanity projects, volunteers of all levels have been welcome as recovery work encompasses tasks for both skilled and unskilled workers.
When Hurricane Florence struck in 2017, St. Matthew parishioners stepped up again to help. NCCUMC requested gift cards to local fast food restaurants to provide meals for residents, many of whom had not fully recovered from Hurricane Matthew before they had to endure the effects of Hurricane Florence.
Catholic Charities got connected with Christian Responders during a visit with Father Pat Hoare, pastor of St. Matthew Church. Thanks to a $50,000 grant from Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte began partnering with the effort – providing some of those funds to help victims of both hurricanes rebuild and get back on their feet.
In May, volunteers from St. Matthew Christian Responders and the Moravian Church committed to rebuild an entire house. The original house, devastated by the two hurricanes, was uninhabitable. When demolition began, asbestos was discovered, so the City of Lumberton also pitched in with demolition and tree removal.
Thanks to the dedication of the NCCUMC staff – and the financial support and 1,500 work hours provided by 16 volunteer teams that included St. Matthew Church, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, and Yadkin View Moravian Regional Conference of Churches – the new home is finished.
“The Christian Responders group is another example of the many ways in which the people of St. Matthew respond to those in need,” Father Hoare said. “There was a sense, after Hurricane Matthew pounded eastern North Carolina, that we need to do more than just donate funds to help.”
“The people of Lumberton are our not-so-distant neighbors,” he said. “It is important to help people who live in poverty in far-away places, but the people of Lumberton, we could help with our own hands. And it is also an opportunity for families – parents and children working and learning together what it means to be disciples of Jesus.”
Father Hoare said he was thrilled to hear that Catholic Charities wanted to help, when he discussed the Christian Responders initiative with Amy Loesch, Catholic Charities’ special projects coordinator.
“It has been a beautiful partnership between St. Matthew and the diocese that is already bearing good fruit,” he said.
Dr. Gerard Carter, Catholic Charities’ executive director, agreed.
“This opportunity presented Catholic Charities with a wonderful opportunity to work collaboratively with the St. Matthew Parish community to serve the victims of a natural disaster here in our own state,” Carter said.
Staff and volunteers recently gathered to bless the home they had built together in Lumberton. Pastor Herbert Lowery of Chestnut Street United Methodist Church led the group in prayer. Comments and words of support were offered by staff and volunteers, with a closing prayer offered by Pastor Chris Thore.
“Working side by side with the survivors, hope is restored and victims witness God’s love in action,” Loesch noted. “Not only was much been accomplished, but many new friendships have been created.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter