| Drawing Closer to the Lord |
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Father Jack Peterson, YA, reflects on the power of service trips to inspire students and change the entire course of their lives.
This spring I traveled with ten students, a pair of seminarians and Meg Dalmut, a Marymount University campus minister, down to the Diocese of Arlington’s mission parishes in Banica and Pedro Santana in the Dominican Republic. I venture there most years for our annual Alternative Spring Break trip, where we plunge into prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I am always thrilled by the grace that flows into our lives through the blessing of this service adventure. Year after year, the students describe this “best week ever” as a life-changing experience. They’re right. We heed our Lord’s call to serve our neighbor. It is a very demanding week of service to our brothers and sisters in Christ. The travel conditions are extreme compared to our lifestyle at home. We cover great distances riding on the backs of trucks (and even mules) for hours hanging on with great care and attention. We paint chapels, pour concrete floors, handle light carpentry for long hours in the heat. It takes a toll on those of us accustomed to office work and studies. Yet a wonderful dimension of the work is that we receive so much more than we give. The service we render to the Dominican people is incredibly enriching. Saint Francis was right: It is in giving that we receive, in loving that we are loved, in serving that we find joy and meaning in life. Among the Dominicans, we see very clearly the face of Christ. We are blessed during these weeks to live very simply, to fast from most of what clogs up our everyday lives here in the States. In the mountains the locals call “La Loma,” food is very simple: Eggs, bread and coffee for breakfast; rice and beans for lunch; a simple sandwich for dinner. Homes are austere. We sleep on dirt or hardwood floors in small communities without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. Some towns do not even have an outdoor latrine. It is hard to get away from dirt. Even the few moments of feeling (somewhat) fresh and clean after bathing in the river end quickly on the walk back to our house. We conduct our evening prayer and reflections by flashlight and firelight. This life is quite refreshing. We do without electricity, phones, iPods and computers, without mirrors, running water, or video games. It gives us time to spend with our neighbors, to engage in long conversations and to spend more time than usual in prayer and fellowship. Our week is centered on God in prayer, the Eucharist, confession and asking big questions about the meaning of our faith in Christ. In our evening prayer we see how God is working in our day lives. We meet him in the Scriptures, let Him call us to greater acts of charity and self-sacrifice and and encourage one another to follow Him on the narrow path. We also see clearly the gift and beauty of the Catholic Church, present in the most remote places, bringing together believers from around the world. We have students from the U.S., the Philippines, and Nicaragua. Together we saw the work of the local bishop, who built the only road to this region; of Father Christopher Murphy, who leads the parish and spends the week with us; of the five young adults volunteering in Banica; of the Brazilian nun who has faithfully and effectively served the parish for 12 years; of those lay catechists who conduct services on Sunday nights when the priest is not able to be there for Mass. It inspires me to see the Church at work in this very remote part of the world. The students sharpen their leadership skills. They take on leading roles at the work sites. More important, they lead the evening sessions, which are central to the success of the week and its power to transform young lives. These sessions deepen their faith as they make short presentations, moderate discussions and begin and end with prayer. They see their service as an expression of the apostolic mission to bring the Good News to the world. The work of bringing Christ to their peers cultivates the leaders of tomorrow’s Church. The week is one of my favorites of the year. It is refreshing to get away from the way of life so common in the United States. Our spring break trip is a most blessed chance to experience Christ in the poor, in the work of serving our brothers and sisters, in the generosity of the students, in the time we take for prayer and the sacraments, in the life of the Church, and in the beauty of God’s creation. |