This
is the title of a striking statue unveiled and blessed yesterday morning on the
grounds of the Alberta Legislature. The beautiful bronze monument has been
sculpted as a lasting tribute to the religious sisters who, beginning more than
one hundred and fifty years ago, gave of themselves tirelessly in service to
others and laid the foundation of what are today our institutions of
healthcare, education and social outreach. Sisters came to the property of our
legislative assembly from across Western Canada for the event. There they were
joined by Premier Ed Stelmach and his wife, Marie, and other government
officials, together with the good people at Covenant Health who spearheaded the
project. I was there with Archbishop Huculak and Bishop Motiuk, both of the
Ukrainian Catholic community. We were joined by large numbers of our priests,
religious and lay faithful, including students from our Catholic schools.
Clearly, the idea of creating a lasting expression of gratitude to the Sisters
touched the hearts of many. They are precious to us.
The
point of the event was not only to say thank you, however. It was also an
occasion to reflect upon their legacy and ask ourselves how we, in our day,
need to take up the torch and carry this inheritance into the future. This is
no easy task, because what they have bequeathed us is in many ways the opposite
of developing trends in our society.
Western
society is sinking rapidly into a utilitarian assessment of human worth, whereby
one's value is measured in terms of talent, intellect and the ability to
contribute. Human worth is thus extrinsically assigned by others who presume to
judge the value of another. The legacy of the sisters is the opposite: human
dignity is inherent and inalienable, grounded in the fact of our creation in
the image and likeness of God. From the first moment of existence until natural
death, the human person is wondrous and beautiful, irrespective of skill or
circumstance, always a gift and never a burden, and unceasingly deserving of
respect, care and attention.
The
growing secularism we see today seeks to pressure people of faith into a type
of schizophrenia; the dictates of conscience and religion should be lived only
privately, while in the public arena one is expected to live as if God did not
exist. Eclipsing the question of God from all public discourse robs society of
its only reliable basis for trust. The ensuing fear and anxiety turns people
away from others and into themselves and thus becomes a seedbed of societal
division and even violence. The Sisters have given us a convincing testament to
the unifying, liberating and life-giving power of faith, publicly professed and
lived. It was in response to a divine
call and out of confidence in the providence of God that the Sisters travelled
countless kilometres by rudimentary means of transport to come to Western
Canada. What motivated them above all else was their knowledge of the love of
God and the desire to be agents of that love to others. They arrived with next
to nothing and knew well the limits imposed by human weakness. They gave over
their little into the hands of Almighty God, trusting in faith that He would
multiply it in His own time and according to His saving purpose. We see today
that that faith was not misplaced. Their faith opened their lives and ministry
to the power of God, and this province is the beneficiary of that witness.
Their legacy is a call to us to embrace the truth, not only as individuals but
also as a society, that God who loves us is near, wanting to be involved in our
lives and having the power to turn all things to the good if we but call upon
Him and surrender to His ways.
Their
legacy is a call to respect every human being at all stages of life, place
others before ourselves, and profess faith in a God who loves us. There are
many signs of this legacy being carried into the future.
For
example, on Tuesday morning of this week I met with people from our faith
communities who are working together in support of Edmonton's ten-year plan to
end homelessness. We are particularly focused upon reaching out to newly housed
men and women to embrace them with a network of friendship and support.
Receiving a dwelling is one thing. Experiencing it as a home requires
participation in a web of relationships that affirm and enable. We are working
to create a programme with just this aim in mind. It will be entitled
"Welcome Home", and some representatives from Catholic Social
Services outlined to the group a vision of how this might unfold. I was very
moved and edified by the loving seriousness with which these good people are
treating this issue.
As
another example, I celebrated Mass Tuesday evening with the volunteers involved
in the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of the Archdiocese. These are people who
give of their time to visit the poor and provide them with the concrete
assistance they need. Here I would like to highlight one particular dimension
of their outreach. They visit the
poor. They do not wait for them to show up; they go out to them. From a visit I
know that I have been noticed. When that visit has been made for no other
motive than to help me, I know that I matter. The worth of each and every human
being was made visible when God visited us in His Son. Now we assure others of
their worth by visiting them in order to be of assistance and give them the
help they might not otherwise have been able to find.
Sisters,
thank you!! Thanks as well to all who give of themselves to carry into the
future their legacy of loving service through Christ.
