Dear Friend,
As you probably heard, Hands Together has begun a new program called The Hands Together Companion. It is a program that hopefully will strengthen the spiritual dimension of Hands Together.
Someone once said that life is a journey that begins the day we are born and ends the day we die. Each of us is on that journey, and each of us must realize that we are not making that journey on our own. We need the hand of our loving God to lead us. We also need to reach out and take the hand of anyone traveling with us.
I am now asking you to consider being a Hands Together companion by dedicating your future journey to our loving God. Be assured! You need not be a Catholic, but you need to be at least open to the existence of a loving God and be willing to embrace this mystery.
Sadly, we are living in a time of great divisiveness and fragmentation, a time of ugly bigotry and violence. Certainly, we feel the effects of this here in Haiti as the people suffer.
I pray now that we can begin to look beyond all the accidents of color, origin, nationality, and religion and be able to shatter all categories. I pray that we can see all people as fellow pilgrims bound by the bond of love.
Please consider joining our community of companions as we journey together, as we pray together, and as we share our mission to help the very poor of Haiti. Please consider participating in our experiment called 'The Hands Together Companion.' Indeed, it is an experiment, but we must do something to make God more essential in our lives.
We are asking you now to consider being a companion. If you decide, please consider doing the following:
- Choose a quiet, still place to be alone for five minutes. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. In your own words, simply say "Here I am, Lord, I put all I have into your hands!" You need not have to say or do anything else. You will begin to experience contemplation. Your mind may wander, but that is ok.
- Agree to participate in exercises suggested by Hands Together to fast and abstain from something for a day, perhaps once or twice a month, such as giving up bread, sugar, etc.
- Agree to reach out to a person who may appear to be lonely or in need of some contact. This could be done by telephone, e-mail, text, or just visiting their home. (This too would be once or twice a month)
- Agree to participate in the community of companions by praying a suggested prayer at times or to prayerfully remember a special need or intention of a fellow companion.
- Agree each year to donate $100.00 to help pay for the food needed to feed the hungry people of Haiti.
Please contact David Darling if you would like to be a companion and please give him your e-mail address.
God bless you and love you!
Tom, (Fr. Tom Hagan)
Doug Campbell
David Darling
