Exploring the apostolate of Catholic Sisters who save lives, heal wounds and bring hope to those who are hopeless.
“The World is full of chaos, suffering, war, revenge and heartbroken people!” says Maria Isaya, LSOSF a current student of ASEC’s Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) program in Tanzania.
Where does all of this negativity come from? More importantly, what should be done? And who should do it?
The Dalai Lama once said, “People were created to be loved, things were created to be used. The world is in chaos because everything is the opposite.”[1]
Perhaps the reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used?
Sr. Maria’s essay below explores the theme of “Healing Hands” and what this means to her as a Catholic nun.
——-
The World will never be at peace unless you and I decide to bring back that love which went for a long journey of no return. We have killed it with our own hands hence it is due to us to bring it back; to preach peace in our hearts, families and society.
People are heartbroken and they are waiting for you and me to stretch our hands and heal them. It is a call which needs every human being to take an action. A call for all of us to move out of our comfort zones and heal the world. We who have this precious gift of higher education really have a special and urgent mission of healing our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As Catholic Sisters, healing is our first apostolate. Then, others will follow. Healing Hands is a reflective theme which takes [Catholic Sisters] back to our call. Back to the very first voice that induced us to follow Christ as women religious.
Although different charisms are crowning our congregations, the core goal of all those charisms is to save life, to heal and to bring hope to those who are hopeless.
With this, we must ask ourselves;
How many lives have I saved?
How many people have I wiped their tears?
How many of them have I dressed up their wounds?
Let us wake up and do small things with love as Mother Theresa of Calcutta used to say and do. It is through little things done in love we can heal the world. Some people are only in need of our presence in their life. Some people need only a consoling word.
We all have something we can do to heal the World. Let us wake up and do something to heal the World.
The same way one single tree can shelter so many people, so can your one single deed transform many lives.
Healing Hands calls upon each one of us to be intentional with our words and deeds to positively impacts lives.
Our apostolate and mission should be of healing and bringing the World into Christ’s peace. Let us walk out with one intention of bringing back the love and peace to make the World a better place to be lived.
St. Francis of Assisi once said, “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
Therefore, it is no use walking anywhere to preach love, peace and healing unless our walking is our love, peace and healing.
-By Sr. Maria Isaya, LSOSF, HESA student, Tanzania
—-
Learn more about how Catholic nuns are using Healing Hands care for the sick, the poor and the marginalized living in sub-Saharan Africa.
Be a Ray of Hope
Communities across Africa are counting on Catholic Sisters, but 48 lack the education needed to carry out their important mission work. You can be a Ray of Hope for a Sister who needs you by donating to her education today.
This article is addressing the following UN Sustainable Development Goal(s):
