On January 14, the memorial of Blessed Peter Donders, the Redemptorist community at the Generalate in Rome and the faithful gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help to celebrate the Eucharist, which was presided over by Fr. Edward Chacón, General Secretary.
In his homily, P. Edward invited those present to reflect on three words that describe the Blessed Peter’s life well. These words, love, solidarity, and hope, also illuminate the life and mission of Redemptorists today.
Developing these three points of reflection, Fr. Edward said: ‘Blessed Peter Donders lived a radical solidarity in sharing not only the sufferings of lepers but his own life. He did not just help from afar but ate their bread, touched their wounds, and became a brother to the marginalised. Such is the face of true solidarity: a love that kneels before the suffering of the other and, in doing so, transforms both the giver and the receiver.’
At the end of his homily, Fr. Edward encouraged all the present to be inspired by the example of the Redemptorist Blessed: ‘Each one of us, whether in the family, in consecrated life or any walk of life, is called to be a witness of a concrete love, to live the solidarity that transforms and to build a hope that turns fear into trust and crises into opportunities for encounter.’
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