“A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

 Luke 23:27-28

“[When Jesus died}, there were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.”

Mark 15:40-41
(cf. Matthew 27:55)

Born and raised in Hawaii, Patricia Devlin is the mother of two children and has advanced degrees in psychology and counseling. She has been blind since birth, and has survived two bouts with cancer. She currently suffers from migraines and breast cancer. Her book, The Light of Love, is a compilation of conversations with her guardian angel, and later with our Lord. She lives in Lubbock, Texas and is under spiritual direction there with a priest of the diocese, in obedience to the bishop.

Kanaka WaiWai is her favorite hymn.

Listen to the Hawaiian version, sung by Daniel Ho, and available on his website at www.DanielHo.com. The English translation is below.

Listen Now!

In the travels of Jesus
He met
a prominent young man
known for his wealth.
Said the youth,
"My good Lord
what must I do
to have eternal life?"

Chorus:
"Give, give away
your possessions.
Turn and follow me.
Thus have life eternal."

The youth treasured
his wealth.
He did not want to give all his possessions
to the needy and poor.
Jesus turned
and answered the youth,
"Being attached to worldly
possessions, you cannot reach
the kingdom of heaven."

“What is your name?” I asked.

“Eda,” the woman replied, sitting Indian-style, back against the Pearle Vision facade. Our exchange revealed she was HIV positive, and received sporadic care at a south-side Chicago health clinic. Eda is just one of an estimated 3.5 million homeless Americans. About forth percent are women. Of that total, anywhere from one third to one half have substance abuse issues, and one in five report either domestic abuse or mental illness as the reason for their status. The poor are truly among us, and they are homeless.

The biblical “preferential option for the poor” directed the Jews to provide for the most helpless in Hebrew society--the widow and the orphan. Today, we as Church and as a country must allow our hearts to be softened to the needs of today’s anawim, particularly women. No matter what circumstances brought them to the street, Jesus calls us to seek out the lost in his name.

Both Catholic Charities and Catholic Worker communities have local programs that meet the needs of the homeless, including housing and rehabilitation programs.
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
www.catholicworker.org

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill has an online database for resources to address homelessness among women, particularly focusing on shelters:
http://www.ibiblio.org/rcip/women.html

The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions has a good list of the dos…and don’ts…of helping the homeless.
http://www.agrm.org/how-help.html

Lord, We Pray:

* For homeless women, that the resources they need may be made available to them so that they may live their lives with human dignity;

* For those who have homes, that they may be aware of the needs of others, and open their hearts, minds and even doors to the homeless and their needs;

* For those who struggle with mental illness and lack shelter, that compassion may inspire those who are whole to share both emotional and physical shelter with these least of Your daughters;

* For government and health organizations , that their efforts would prevent others from victimizing homeless women physically, emotionally, socially, and sexually;

* For women who are driven to homelessness due to domestic violence and abuse, that those who sin against them be brought to justice, and that these women be brought to healing;

* For those in a position to offer education and job training to homeless women, in the spirit of Edith Stein, that they would empower women to have confidence in their skills and empower them to leave behind cycles of poverty and despair.

* For those women among us who may have a home and family, but feel spiritually homeless, that they may put their trust in the Lord, knowing that our home is with God, and as long as we hold God in our hearts...we are home.

Amen