Fourth Week of Lent

(Week beginning Monday 31 March)

You would need a heart of stone not to be affected by the stories we encounter today. Most of us have heard the story of the two sons in The Parable of The Lost Son (Luke 14:11-32) over and over. The brilliance of the way Jesus tells stories is that it still gets under our skin. Here are two young men who think they can live on their own terms. One has a sense of entitlement and demands his share of his father’s estate which he then squanders. He is finally prepared to eat humble pie and find his way home. The other son has a different sense of entitlement. He believes that his hard work and reliability should provide him with a greater share of his father’s love. At different times in our life, we can relate more to one or other of these people. Jesus implies that they are both blind to the way God’s love works and that they both need to grow. They have both been dead and now must come to life.

The story we encounter this week is also deeply moving. Irene, aged 25, lives in the Kongolo region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Her father was killed during a war and Irene lived with her mother on very meagre resources, often going hungry for extended periods of time. Irene first became pregnant as a teenager and later had to raise her two children on her own, with the support of her mother. As a single mother, it was challenging for Irene to care for her two sons without a stable income. Irene’s life changed after she participated in the Youth Capacity Strengthening program, run by Caritas Australia’s partner, Caritas Kongolo. Through the program, she undertook training in sewing and livestock farming, enabling her to generate income to support her family.

“Before, women depended on men's income, but now, with our sewing skills, we can take care of ourselves,” Irene said.

Your support of Project Compassion helps women like Irene to create brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Watch Irene’s story here. (For secondary students and parents)

Will you stand in solidarity with people like Irene this Lent?

Photo credit: Arlette Bashizi/Caritas Australia 

Donate now via the Project Compassion money boxes in the College office

Thank you for standing with us, as we Unite Against Poverty this Lent.

Carey Twidale