St. Liguori was known for his work with the abandoned. Who are the ‘abandoned’ in our daily lives? How do we recognize them? And once we find them, what do we do?
Signed, Jesse

Dear Jesse,

That is a great question, and one that is as important today as it was in St. Alphonsus’ day. It may be interesting to know that this is a question that the Redemptorists (members of the order that Alphonsus founded) have asked in the past and continue to ask today. In fact, if we are to be true to the charism given by our founder, we can never stop asking that question.

In Alphonsus’ time, among the abandoned were those poor shepherd and goat herders who had been baptized, but knew nothing else of Jesus. They were abandoned in the sense that they did not know Christ. One could say that they had fallen through the cracks and the church had forgotten them, or given the resources of the day, could not educate them.

Who are the people today who do not know Christ? I think the question is no longer about evangelization in terms of gaining converts to the faith, though we always welcome new people! In North America, we are marked by an increasingly secular (non-religious) culture. Oddly enough, even today, there are many who are baptized but have not been raised Catholic. Do they know Christ yet? These would be among the abandoned, but there are more. Of course, there will always the materially poor who suffer from the endless cycle of poverty, addictions, unemployment, etc. In larger cities immigrants are among the abandoned as they grapple with immigration policies and try to get established in a new country. Then there are those who are marginalized by broken relationships, sexual orientation, mental illness, abortion, abuse (just to name a few) and the stigmas that go with them. Today, as we are aware now of how the Church itself has hurt so many people, these victims are also among those who feel abandoned.

I think you can tell that there is no shortage of ‘abandoned’ people today, sad to say. How do we find them? This also is a good question. My guess is some of these people are among your family and friends, they are in school, work and church – my point is, in time you will meet them just through ordinary life experiences. But it also helps to go out and meet them through volunteering, looking for a cause that interests you, being aware of the issues in your community, country and world. In my experience, if we begin to ask more questions and seek out such people, it is not long before we find them.

And thus we come to the answer of your last question … what do we do once we find them? The simple answer is to do what you can, given your own context and life commitments, and help the wider efforts of so many good people and organizations to help those who are marginalized and abandoned. If we make our contribution, using the talents and skills God gave us, then we are following Jesus’ cause for the poor and marginalized of his day. And if enough of us do that, then change is possible, and the Kingdom of God comes nearer for those who have stood at the fringe for too long.

Blessings and Peace,

aka Fr. Tony, C.Ss.R.