A Modest proposal On How to Truly Reform the CCHD

Yesterday was the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was the 1st American citizen to be declared a saint. She was born at Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Lombardy, Italy on 15 July 1850. She was sent by Pope Leo XIII to help the Italian immigrants who were struggling under very unfavorable conditions. The 2nd reading from the Office of Readings for her feast was from the Homily by Pope Pius XII at the Mass where she was canonized. As I read it i thought to myself, herE is the right way to ACCOMPLISH what the Catholic Campaign for Human Development says is its purpose for existing. Here is that homily:

"Inspired by the grace of God, we join the saints in honouring the holy virgin Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was a humble woman who became outstanding not because she was famous, or rich or powerful, but because she lived a virtuous life. From the tender years of her youth, she kept her innocence as white as a lily and preserved it carefully with the thorns of penitence; as the years progressed, she was moved by a certain instinct and a supernatural zeal to dedicate her whole life to the service and greater glory of God.
She welcomed delinquent youths into safe homes and taught them to live upright and holy lives. She consoled those who were in prison and recalled to them the hope of eternal life. She encouraged prisoners to reform themselves and to live honest lives.
She comforted the sick and the infirm in the hospitals and diligently cared for them. She extended a friendly and helping hand especially to immigrants and offered them necessary shelter and relief, for having left their homeland behind, they were wandering about in a foreign land with no place to turn for help. Because of their condition she saw that they were in danger of deserting the practice of Christian virtues and their Catholic faith.
Where did she acquire all that strength and the inexhaustible energy by which she was able to perform so many good works and to surmount so many difficulties involving material things, travel and men?
Undoubtedly she accomplished all this through the faith which was always so vibrant and alive in her heart; through the divine love which burned within her; and, finally, through constant prayer by which she was so closely united with God from whom she humbly asked and obtained whatever her human weakness could not obtain.
In the face of the endless cares and anxieties of life, she never let anything turn her aside from striving and aiming to please God and to work for his glory for which nothing, aided by God’s grace, seemed too laborious, or difficult, or beyond human strength."

That sure is a lot simpler that the 15 page CCHD reform & renwal document the CCHD came out with. & a lot more Christ centered. In starting her work in the 50s, Mother Teresa followed a very similar plan of action. I conclude with this quote from St. Frances Xavier cabini where she talks about how she accomplished all she did. Again, it is a lot different that what the CCHD does in theory or reality. What it does do is state simply & clearly how any program to aid in human development funded by the USCCB should be operated to truly accomplish putting "into practice Catholic teaching on the life and dignity of every human person, the Gospel command to care for the least of these (Matthew 25), and the Church‟s call to practice solidarity in helping poor people help themselves escape poverty."

"We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone."

PS: D+P up in Canada could learn the same lesson from Mother Cabrini as well.