![]() ![]() Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome 590-604, speaks directly to our times. It is an arduous proposition, bidding us read whatever signs our times suggest in the fiery, purifying light of him who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the same today, yesterday, always. St Paul meanwhile summons us to ‘put on the mind of Christ’ ( Philippians 2:5). In the Gospel Jesus says to the chief priests and the elders: ‘John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him’ ( Matthew 21:32). Make me walk in your truth, and teach me’ ( Psalm 25:4f.). In the words of the Psalm we respond: ‘Lord, make me know your ways. The Church is challenged: ‘You say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?’ ( Ezekiel 18:25). Today’s Mass readings follow a cycle established decades ago they are not specifically intended for the first retreat day of the Church’s synod yet their message to this assembly called to ‘walk together’ in the Spirit is inspiring. And in December, I got my daughter back!”Īngie’s transformed life is a testimony to God’s promise in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!” That’s the kind of difference your support helps make possible, each and every day.It is endlessly fascinating to see how the word of Scripture illuminates specific situations in unexpected ways. God.’ It’s like God saying, ‘Here, look, this is what you can have. “But I got a phone call from her: she contacted me. I talked to her that one time, right before I came here, and she didn’t know I came!” Angie says. “I hadn’t talked to my daughter in quite a while. You all are the reason why!’”īeyond this family of friends Angie is building here, she’s also seeing her own family begin to heal. “One girl who went into the program graduated and wanted to work here,” Angie recalls. But then you turn around and see the volunteers here who help, and they all work together to make it work! Just knowing I had a part in that gave me more reason to help more people,” Angie shares. She knows the struggles of those she’s serving firsthand, and she’s there to listen, to help. Her impact extends far beyond providing a welcome plate of food. “I’ve been working here to give back to what has been given to me, and I love it!” “He took the urge away: He gives me the strength to do this!”Īnd after completing our Life Recovery Program, Angie has gone on to join Nashville Rescue Mission, serving faithfully in our kitchen. That’s all you’ve got to do: just have a little bit of faith, and He’ll do the rest.”įor Angie, that meant walking away from her addiction-for good. “He is with you and will never leave you. I couldn’t do anything without Him,” she shares gratefully. “I get down on my knees every night and pray. This place brought me back to Him,” Angie says. I’d never even thought of God before this. Soon, Angie was enrolled in our Life Recovery Program, where God continued working in her heart to overcome years of separation from her faith. “If it weren’t for this place and God, I don’t think I’d even be here now!” “Ever since then, wow, this place has done wonders,” Angie says. “My daughter said, ‘Mama, go get help.’ Two months later, I ended up here,” at Nashville Rescue Mission. The power to change had to come from God, and He moved her heart with words that Angie will never forget. that’s all I cared about.”įor 20 years, Angie tried to quit on her own, but she could never find freedom. I would sleep in my car.” Sadder still, “I didn’t really care because. “I went deep into addiction-for years,” she recalls.Īnd no matter how far she was able to move ahead with her life, that dependency never let her go, until, separated from her daughters, Angie ended up on the streets. ![]() Losing him pushed her further into a place of instability and drinking far more frequently. “My mom lost custody of me when I was 3,” she says. Īngie sees challenges within her family that go all the way back to childhood, when she went to live with her grandparents after being taken away from her own mother. ![]() F or hurting neighbors like Angie, grief and loss can often be the catalyst to finding hope at Nashville Rescue Mission and a future with the Lord.
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