Following in the Footsteps of the Saints
By:  Deacon Dan Cook - Director for St. Parmenas Region
 
As I write this, I have just finished Day One of riding as with the Samaritan Cycling USA team.  As you probably know, I am one of twelve cyclists beginning a 40-day cycling trip, our Ride Across America, in San Diego.  Our mission is raising awareness and funds for those experiencing homelessness.  

Yesterday our team members spent the day doing various jobs at Rachel’s Promise and Rachel’s Women’s Center, projects of Catholic Charities of San Diego, that provide shelter, food and clothing for unhoused women and children.  And last evening, we attended Mass at a San Diego parish, where I had the privilege of serving and preaching the homily, telling the congregation of our team’s mission and asking for prayers and financial support.  We will do the same at a number of cities along our route.  The day was a powerful reminder of why we are riding.

There is something particularly meaningful about beginning our journey in San Diego. Here, in 1769, St. Junípero Serra founded the first of California’s 21 Franciscan missions, which would eventually stretch north along El Camino Real.

Serra came to bring the Gospel to California’s Indigenous peoples. At the heart of that Gospel is a revolutionary truth: every human being is created in God's image and possesses an inherent dignity, regardless of wealth, power, race, or position in society. Women and children, the poor, the disabled, and the oppressed are all beloved children of God.
Serra worked to serve the needs of these people. That need still exists today.

And what a remarkable coincidence that our ride began on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, during the 800th anniversary year of his death! Francis, a brother deacon, abandoned wealth and worldly ambition to embrace poverty, humility, and service. Serra, as a Franciscan, followed in his footsteps.

Brothers, we have these extraordinary saints to guide us in our own vocation.

As deacons, we are called to proclaim the Gospel, to meet people wherever they are and to draw them closer to Christ. I admit – I ride with Samaritan Cycling in part because I enjoy riding and the team camaraderie.  There is something deeply humbling and edifying about sharing this journey with friends who have chosen to put the needs of others ahead of their own comfort. They remind me that the Gospel is best proclaimed by the lives we lead.

May St. Francis and St. Junípero Serra inspire us to remember that the Gospel is not merely something we proclaim. It is something we are called to live.