Sunday, March 20, 2011

To Be a Hero

Mother Marianne's West Side Kitchen marks it third anniversary this month.

It all started in 2008 when Deacon Gil Nadeau was inspired by the Gospel passage on the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain – and like the apostles who came down from the height to get to work, it was time for the parish to come off the mountain and do something for the hungry of the neighborhood.

It's more than 70,000 meals later. Or as soup kitchen supervisor Vicki Montalbano would say, 70,000 blessings later.

"The blessings flow from the kitchen and we are grateful to be able to serve," Vicki notes. "After all, who we serve are on our Lord's guest list, and all are welcome."

This weekend Deacon Gil preached on the Transfiguration again, where Elijah and Moses appeared, and a voice in the cloud declared, "This is my son." And Jesus was radiant like the sun.

Deacon Gil compared it to the light of faith. An unmistakable inner glow.

There are many examples. Take Mother Teresa. Quoting British journalist Malcom Muggeridge, he said: "Her love is luminous."

John Paul II had it, he said, and also Martin Luther King Jr.

But, he said, we don't have to do what they did to be heroic and radiate with the light of faith.

"Each of us is called to be a light in the darkness of this world…"

"To be a hero, you just need to do something good -- such as helping the needy... feeding the hungry... sheltering the homeless... supporting the ministries."

Like the volunteers of Mother Marianne's West Side Kitchen.