Faith in action

Friday, Dec. 11, 2015

With the opening of the Year of Mercy and continued interest in Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si,’” I have been more conscious of trying to live our Catholic faith. Recently, I had two experiences that helped me do just that.

About two weeks ago, seeking a particular Christmas present, I dropped into 1World Gifts, a store in Salt Lake City that carries fair trade and local items. I stopped in for several reasons: I prefer to shop at local businesses, and I have become conscious of the plight of people in other parts of the world who are exploited to provide items for American consumers. Purchasing fair trade items is a concrete way to show my opposition to this practice. By “voting with my wallet,” I am helping to ensure that those who make the items I buy are fairly compensated for their work.

The fair trade movement commenced many years ago, and I have been trying since then to adjust my buying habits accordingly. Pope Francis alludes to the need for this in “Laudato Si’” and also in “Misericordiae Vultus,” the document that opens the Year of Mercy, where he writes, “It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters.”

Walking into 1World Gifts, the first thing I noticed was a “Gratitude Tree” hung with notes written by customers about what they are grateful for. It was a lovely reminder that there’s more to the holiday season than purchasing presents and partying.

The shop is filled with unique items, from a wall full of nativity sets from various countries (the smallest could almost have fit in a matchbox!) to indigenous musical instruments to beautiful greeting cards. As I contemplated a pair of fingerless gloves made in Nepal, the shopkeeper told me that the artisan who made those items was able to help two villages that suffered from the earthquake earlier this spring; she hired a helicopter to airlift supplies to one, the shopkeeper said.

That is the sort of thing that purchasing fair trade items supports.

The other incident that reminded me to live my faith was when a local Catholic, Lourdes Bustamante, came by my office to ask what we can do to help the people living at the homeless shelter. She had gone to talk to them, learned their stories, and came away with one conclusion: “We need to find ways to help.”

Our conversation humbled me. It’s my job to write stories about the homeless, and so I have talked to them on occasion, but Ms. Bustamante did so out of mercy.

In “Misericordiae Vultus,” the Holy Father writes, “In this Holy Year, we look forward to the experience of opening our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society: fringes which modern society itself creates.” 

Ms. Bustamante has done just that. She told me of meeting a young person who ran away from home and is looking for her father, of how those at the shelter have to wait in line in the morning to ensure they will have a place to sleep at night, of people looking for work but are unable to find it. Her response was that to which Christ calls each of us, in this Christmas season and beyond: “Let me help.”

The question in my mind after Ms. Bustamante left my office was, “How can I best respond to her visit?”

My only answer was to support the Catholic Community Services’ special collection, which is good as far as it goes, but more than just writing a check is needed.