From Father Travis
We have just begun our tenth year at this Minburi Campus. Right from the first days of this school year we have begun with a sense of joy of being a part of Ruamrudee International. We celebrate our value of being a reputable school and a very good place for all of us. We are partners in doing what is right, good, and proper. We celebrate this opportunity.
So, we can ask ourselves: Have we helped anyone recently? Maybe the opportunity has not come yet. But, we should pray that opportunities do come when we can prove that we care about people and want everyone to have a chance to be a full person.
I had great opportunities during the summer months to celebrate this RIS Charisma of helping others. Let me tell you about the joy I had.
When I arrived in the States to attend the burial of my father I met an elderly priest in a wheelchair. He had been sick, with a stroke and other ailments that left him very crippled. As a result of being crippled he did not have an opportunity to conduct religious services or to say Mass. He attended... quietly, from his wheelchair for nearly a year. I visited with him and we became friends. We talked about courage and challenges. He began to brighten. One day I invited him to come up close to the altar in his wheelchair so we could say the prayers together. Then I invited him to lead some of the prayers. The next step was a big one. I invited him to take the lead, and I would follow. Perhaps you can see the conclusion of this paragraph... this elderly priest is now, in his wheelchair, at the altar, leading - he is back where he always wanted to be. I am so grateful that I was able to bring the RIS spirit to him. We care about people for we are dedicated to union of hearts.
The other opportunity concerns a little girl of eight years. She is a very special child needing one operation after the other. She has no opportunity to go to school. Her Mom teaches her at home. As a result of this confinement due to her illness she also was not attending classes that would open the door for her to participate in Catholic Sacraments. I had free time - so I taught the little tot about Christ and her opportunity to be close to Christ in Sacraments. On the Sunday before I boarded the plane to return to RIS the little girl came to the altar and received the Catholic Sacrament of the Eucharist... from the hand of the crippled priest! Those were two of my special opportunities to help people. This year all of us can keep our eyes and ears open to celebrate opportunities that come our way... to care.
God bless you.
Father Travis, Director
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