Imanol
Malnutrition
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It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the most profound unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. God became man ... the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than ]¡e and stare and wiggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about ¡t, the more staggering ¡t gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.
James L. Parker |
The dependency of God... Nothing so emphasizes it as the Incarnation, the enfleshing of our God, His appearance in time and space. He deliberately chose to be powerless and helpless, to be born of poor parents, in the middle of winter, in a stable attended by lowing animals. What could have been his purpose in choosing such a birth? Probably to show us that the almighty, omniscient Divinity is totally dependent on us to continue His creative work, to further His kingdom. His gift of free will to us also demonstrates His desire to be helpless in human hands. We can accede to His will or reject ¡t. We can love Him or reject Him. We can see Him and care for Him in the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the ostracized or we can tum our backs on Him. Astounding, ¡t is not, that we hold power over
our Creator and that then, as a helpless child, and now, He is totally dependent on us? His becoming human was His desire to be loved by us and to remove all distance between the human and divine but so many of us want to maintain that distance for fear of the sacrifices that our closeness with Him enatails. It will entail dying to oneself, serving others without counting the cost, emptying oneself of all pride and vainglory so that the Divine can fill us, occupy us entirely. The ultimate rewards are immense but the journey to them very difficult.
Isabel
Tuberculosis
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Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at al], Christ has come uninvited. But because He cannot be at home in it, because He is out of place in it and yet He must be in it, His place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, those who are denied the status of persons, who are tortured, bombed and exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in the world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst.
Thomas Merton |
The poor of this world, especially children, reflect the dependency and helplessness of God. They are totally dependent on us for their sustenance, well-being and future. We are given through them the opportunity to continue God's creative endeavor, to further His kingdom and in so doing te enter into the redemptive sacrifice which began with His birth.
Throughout the past year your support for the children seen en these pages has enabled us to serve a helpless, dependent God, for the peor embody Him. In the peor one sees the face of God since he chose to come into this world peor and helpless.
We wish all of you a most joyous and blessed Christmas and the happiest of New Years. We sincerely appreciate your support. we love you and wish you God's peace.
The San Damiano Foundation has produced a film in DVD format about our home for children. The film details the day-to-day routine of the home and highlights the plight of the children we care for. It was produced at no cost to the Villa La Paz Foundation. Copies are available for a donation of $20.00. The San Damiano Foundation's mission is to put the power of film at the service of the poor. To order a copy of the film titled, "The Patients of a Saint," please click here
Jocelyn
Tuberculosis
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Jofre
Congenital Interrupted Esophagus
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Joel
Tuberculosis
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Maria
Congenital Dislocater Hip
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Michael
Chronic Ear Infection
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Salvador
Burns of the Scalp and Arms
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Then he took a little child, stood him in the midst, and putting his arms around him, said to them, "Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes, not me, but Him who sent me".
Mark 9:36-37
The children on these pages are the face of God. In them He has become completely dependent on us. Thank you for your support of this work. We love you and wish you blessings of peace and joy.
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about these and other cases
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