Operation Rice Bowl

A wonderful apostolate to remind us of the spirit of almsgiving.


Week 1: Guatemala

The first stop in our Lenten pilgrimage is the rural village of
Chanjule in Guatemala where we will meet Felipa Pérez. When
Hurricane Stan destroyed Chanjule's water system in 2005, it left the
villagers without clean water for two months. Community members such
as Felipa and her family helped build their new system from the ground
up, laying pipeline for distribution, constructing latrines, wash
basins, and the sewage system, and installing faucets in every home.

Bordered by El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras and Belize, Guatemala is
home to more than 12 million people  the largest population in Central
America. The country struggles with a high unemployment rate.
Approximately 76 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a
day. That makes it especially vulnerable to the effects of natural
disasters, such as Hurricane Stan, which took thousands of lives in
2005.

Pray

Lent has barely begun, and already we're reminded of the temptation
that snaps at our heels, even as we try to walk a journey of
repentance, self-sacrifice and prayer.  In Sunday's Gospel we heard
the familiar story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert, as the
devil seeks to weaken Jesus' ability to love God with his whole heart,
with all his soul and with all his might. In his earthly ministry
Jesus expressed his deep love for his Father through his deep love of
people, especially those whom society had forgotten.

Each year during hurricane season the world holds its breath as a new
batch of storms takes aim at coastal countries. With a new threat each
year, it is tempting to forget those still trying to recover from the
storms of previous years. But since the poor are hardest hit by these
natural disasters, it often takes them years to recover.

As you begin your Lenten journey, reflect on the temptations that
weaken your awareness and concern for people in poverty. Ask the God
of the poor to raise your awareness of poverty and its root causes,
and seek out ways to participate in God's healing work.

Fast

With the presence of well maintained public water systems in the
United States, it's easy to take the benefits of clean water for
granted. Water from the tap means no one must haul the family water
supply from the closest stream. Complex water purification systems
keep water-borne diseases at bay.  And yet this is a resource that can
be so easily compromised by overuse, by toxic run-off from our roads
and farm fields and by the chemicals that are dumped into streams and
oceans. It is a global system, and what we do to the water quality in
our own communities can harm water systems across the world.

In solidarity with all those whose water supply is in constant threat,
make a commitment to care for the water sources that you benefit from.
Limit overuse of water by installing low-flow shower heads. Don't
leave the water running when brushing teeth or doing the dishes. Don't
flush prescription medicines down drains or toilets. Use filtered tap
water instead of purchased bottled water to limit the pollution caused
by plastic packaging.

Learn

When the people of Chanjule wrote to Catholic Relief Services
requesting help to restore the village water system, CRS and its
partner Caritas responded with financial and technical assistance.
Creating accessible and stable supplies of clean water is a key to
strengthening community health, improving agricultural production and
increasing opportunities for women and girls, whose access to
education and work can be limited when they must spend so much time
hauling water from far-away water sources. Catholic social teaching
reminds us that "stewardship of the Earth is a form of participation
in God's act of creating and sustaining the world. In our use of
creation, we must be guided by a concern for generations to come."
(USCCB Administrative Committee, Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call
to Political Responsibility, p. 15).

Give

According to the University of Nebraska's water center, the average
American pays about $2 for 1,000 gallons of water. Five gallons cost
about a penny. The average American uses about 60 to 100 gallons a
day. Consider the work that the members of the village of Chanjule put
into restoring their own water system. Put $2 in your Rice Bowl in
solidarity with those who do not have the luxury of a 10-day stretch
of clean water piped into their homes.

Visit The Operation Rice Bowl Web Site

http://orb.crs.org/

Operation Rice Bowl is the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief
Services, and calls Catholics in the United States to reach out in
solidarity with the poor around the world through the traditional
Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, learning, and giving. By
participating in these four activities, we come to understand our call
to be a part of one global community.