When I read through the readings for today, what struck me were some of the phrases from the psalm today: “My heart is steadfast, O God.” “Awake O my soul, awake.” “I will give thanks to you among the peoples.” Simple phrases in the psalms can sometimes strike a chord in us when we have difficulty putting our own feelings into words. The daily book of readings I use each day is called Give Us This Day, published by the Benedictine-run Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minnesota. I really like the daily feature called the Blessed Among Us, because they sometimes choose a non-traditional or even non-Catholic as an example of faith that can inspire us and teach us. While I have a strong devotion to the canonized saints of our Catholic faith, those non-canonized saints can have just as strong an influence on us.
Earlier in the week, the person of faith was Jane Addams, a social reformer born in Illinois in the middle of the 19th century. You probably remember learning about her back in US history in high school or college. Jane Addams founded Hull House in Chicago, a ground-breaking settlement house that provided different services to immigrants arriving in that city, such as assistance in education, housing, and food. Reading the Bible as a young girl, she was struck by how God was leading her to serve the poor. She was not strongly attached to organized religion as an adult, feeling that churches needed to promote social virtues as much as they were promoting the practice of private individual virtues. In 1931, her efforts were recognized through the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. She is considered one of the founders of the field of social work.
How do our hearts remain steadfast in the Lord? How do we awaken our souls? Jane Addams answered those questions in the way she devoted her life to her work at Hull House. We need to answer those questions as well in the way we respond to God’s call.
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