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LAMP Ministries is a Catholic lay
missionary association, comprised of people
who serve among the materially poor, with a
focus on evangelization. LAMP missionaries may
be married couples, single men and women, as
well as religious brothers, sisters and priests. |
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A Call
To Holiness |
Are
you called to the mission of
Lamp? |
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Make
A Donation |
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Although you may
not be able to visit a materially poor person or
family in a crowded shelter or walk-up apartment
in the New York City Metropolitan area, you can
help to make it possible for a LAMP Missionary
to do so. |
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"You,
Lord, give light to my lamp; my God, You brighten the
darkness about me."
- Psalm 18:28 |
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Let's Evangelize the World!
a blog by Mike Phelps
email: mike.bronx at
yahoo.com |
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A Duty To Love
(Continued) |
The
following story from Bob
Englert, one of our LAMP
Missionaries sheds light on
our duties (reaching out
through various ministries)
and loving individuals.
During an interview for a
film crew making a
documentary on the work of
LAMP, he was asked to
describe his duties as a
LAMP missionary. Bob shares,
“The question was simple and
certainly routine, but I
hesitated to give what would
have been my normal response
to such a question. Somehow,
to answer, “I work with the
CCD, the youth group, the
lectors; I help at the
shelter for the homeless,”
seemed inadequate.
“The fact is that I do those
things, but my hesitation
centered on the word “duty.”
Ministering to groups is
certainly an important part
of my work, but indeed my
service in the church is so
very personal, and so very
satisfying. For me it is at
the heart of what it means
to be a Christian.
Therefore, I’d like to share
what my “duties” are as a
LAMP missionary:
• giving Rose, who is deaf
and often insecure due to
her handicap, a big hug at
the time she really needed
it;
• reading the scriptures to
Mabel, an elderly woman who
is dying of cancer;
• being with Louise during a
court hearing, and helping
her to think about Jesus at
a time of crisis;
• staying up all night to
keep an old boiler running
so that the homeless men in
our shelter will have heat;
• listening and talking with
these men, as I did with the
man who, when he first came,
would sit by himself in a
corner, looking extremely
dejected;
• sitting in my room and
praying that Francisco will
be able to stop drinking;
• stopping by Mitch’s house
and asking if he would like
to come to the retreat on
Sunday, even though I feel
he will not come;
• talking with Fr. Ken when
things get a little too
hectic in the rectory;
• going to daily mass,
asking Jesus to give me the
help and strength to share
his love with those who most
need it.
“When the interviewer asked
me that question, these were
the people who were in my
heart; these are the
“duties” that God has
entrusted to me.”
In a beautiful way, Bob
Englert’s story illustrates
the importance of loving
individuals. We love people
through our acts of charity
and our service
organizations, but we must
remember that no matter how
many physical needs are
present, and how grave some
of these needs are, people
need to know and feel the
love of God.
So you want to share the
good news of Jesus with
others? You want to
evangelize? Be with the
people and love them. Love
them in whatever
organization or ministry in
which the Lord has called
you to serve. Serve them,
help them, but be sure to
love them.
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