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In his first encyclical, titled Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), Pope Benedict XVI writes about the important witness of charity given by the saints, from the earliest days of the Church to modern times. He makes special mention of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, citing her as an example of how a life of prayer nurtures and enlivens charitable service.
People who pray for an end to poverty, Pope Benedict wrote, “are not wasting their time.” Piety, he says, “does not undermine the struggle against the poverty of our neighbors.”
“Time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is, in fact, the inexhaustible source of that service,” says the pope.
There are many lessons for us Knights in this beautiful encyclical, released Jan. 25. Making sure our charitable programs have this prayerful, spiritual impetus seems to me an important first lesson for us to take from this encyclical.
One way to bring the teachings of Pope Benedict to bear on our Order would be simply to begin each service program we undertake with a prayer. We pray to start and conclude our meetings, hold rosary services or prayer programs to honor Mary, sponsor a Blue Mass or corporate Communion, but how many times do we Knights pray before we launch a fund-raising drive, build a wheelchair ramp for an elderly or disabled neighbor, or collect food to restock a parish or community pantry or soup kitchen?
It is unfortunate that we know almost nothing about the prayer life of our founder; however, in Parish Priest, the authors recount others’ recollections of Father Michael J. McGivney.
They make reference to his determination, a “strength of purpose” and an “indomitable will,” all of which are displayed in his founding of the Knights.
Vivat Jesus
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