Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (Jas 1:19-27)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021622.cfm
To care for widows and orphans . . . religion is never what the world or we think it is—it’s much more practical. As the Scriptures remind us, to say we love God but hate our brother, we are liars (1 Jn 4:20). Love of neighbor is essential, not optional. Today's photo is of my friend, Father Ted Hochstatter, who is a missionary in Kenya. The following three videos (from 2010) are of Father Ted’s ministry in Kenya where he still works. Part 1 https://youtu.be/wxGYYa0_2cY Part 2 https://youtu.be/Y_4FH-27oMM Part 3 https://youtu.be/4Q7rjzZVPFI
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Wednesday, Week VI, Ordinary Time
