Well the faith found here is far from lifeless. It is practical and intense in its expression. Pope John Paul II, when he spoke at Pueblo, reminded us that one aspect of evangelization of the poor consists in giving vigor to social concern. He said that our social conduct is an integral part of following Christ.
The directives of Paul to the Thessalonians are taken quite seriously here. In verse 10 of chapter 3 of his first letter he writes, “Indeed when we were with you we used to lay down the rule that anyone who would not work should not eat.” Later on in the same letter he writes that Christians should “earn the food they eat by working quietly.”
Throughout this suburb of Juarez work projects have been organized to improve the area and build up homes and storehouses.
Fr. Rick Thomas and the prayer communities of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, express this social concern through a ministry they call the Lord's Foodbank.
The whole law has found its fulfillment in this one saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In seeking to live out this command, Fr. Rick Thomas has been ministering to the poor people of Juarez, Mexico, for many years. In the book of James in the Holy Bible, we read, “My brothers what good is it to profess faith without practicing it? Such faith has no power to save one, has it? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and no food for the day, and you say to him, 'good bye and good luck! Keep warm and well fed,' but do not meet their bodily needs, what good is that? So it is with faith that does nothing in practice. It is thoroughly lifeless.”
Fr. Rick Thomas: “Well this is our big distribution day. Tuesday every week we distribute food to about 850 families at the Lord's Foodbank. The people are out working in the neighborhood doing some charitable work. They came here early this morning and we had mass and a prayer meeting. And then they went out to do some service work. And they are going to come back shortly and get their food.”
Fr. Rick Thomas: “There's two things in the Bible that impressed us. One was that in the Old Testament the people of God were supposed to have a community storehouse, and in that storehouse the farmers were supposed to put part of their crops. And then the poor and the widows and the alien and the orphans could go there and get free food when they needed it.
“And we believe that it is the justice of God that everybody eat and eat well. That's God's plan. That everybody eat well, and also that they work hard. So we combine those two things together, thinking that everybody has a right to eat and an obligation to work. And so we are providing both today. The people are out working now and in a few minutes they will come back and get what we hope will be groceries for the week.
“And you know this foodbank has been going since 1975 and we have never run out of food. Well, yes we have run out of food, but the Lord always multiplies it. And that's happened over and over again. And it excites these men when they count and know for instance that we have 300 packages of powered milk and 500 people, and they count it and they start passing it out and all 500 get milk and there is milk left over. They know Jesus was there. And Jesus is the underwriter of our bank. This is the Lord's Foodbank. He's the underwriter. And we just go along. We don't turn anybody away, ordinarily.”
And so after completing their work projects, the people line up for receiving enough food for the week. What is impressive about this good work done in the name of Jesus Christ and on behalf of of the Church is that the needs of the whole man are being met. Social action without prayer and conversion to the Lord lacks power and the ability to produce long lasting change in the socio-economic conditions of the people. Likewise, prayer and evangelization without social action leads to pietistic withdrawal from the realities of the human condition and an escape from social problems rather than a confrontation and challenge to change.
Tomas Salinas: “I drank for about 25 years. And as a result of that I ended up with a very bad sickness.”
Dr. Antonio Villalva: “He had tuberculosis, arthritis, and diabetes. His tuberculosis was cured with streptomyosin and isoiosin.”
Tomas Salinas: “I didn't eat, all I did was drink. I paid no attention to my family until one day I found the Lord. I went to the Lord's Foodbank and that's where I found the Lord.”
Dr. Antonio Villalva: “And that's when through prayer he had an inner healing. He was also an alcoholic and was cured of it. And his diabetes was also cured.”
Tomas Salinas: “And I am very happy, very pleased with the Lord. I am lacking in nothing thanks to him.”
Here the liberation of the people from the oppression of poverty, helplessness and hopelessness has come about through principles found in the Scriptures. Principles which call for conversion to the person of Jesus Christ and appropriation of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Rick Thomas
Fr. Rick Thomas
