Refl e c t i ons:Daily Meditations

w i t h

Father Werenfried van Straaten

As the voice of the suffering Church, with the

help of our ACN family of faithful — hundreds

of thousands of concerned and committed

Catholics worldwide — we reach out to assist

people in need in over 145 countries.

Each year, we fulfill more than 5,000 projects

through our spiritual and material aid programs.

Our shared goal: To help strengthen the Church

and keep the Faith alive. Where there is darkness

and despair, we provide light, hope, and a

constant sign that the Church is a dynamic,

single, universal body in Christ.

Please help us keep the Faith alive.

Visit us online at www.churchinneed.org

As an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need’s mission is to help suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide.

Our Missi on

“ You assure a fundamental service to the human person when he or she is deprived of an inal ienable r ight to re l ig ious l iberty.”

— John Paul II

Fr. Werenfried van Straaten, whose name means “Warrior for Peace,” was born January 17, 1913, in the Netherlands. He found himself called to the priesthood, and in 1934, entered the Norbertine Abbey of Tongerlo, Belgium.

As a priest, he gave away everything, but kept his voice to defend the persecuted and suffering church. On Christmas Day, 1947, in his article “No Room at the Inn,” written for his abbey’s newsletter, he passionately called upon faithful to have the courage and compassion to open their hearts and reach out to suffering World War II refugees, including 14 million Germans. Responding to his call, farmers and their wives donated their stores of bacon to feed the hungry

“ The essence of our work consists of drying the tears of God wherever He weeps.”

— Fr. Werenfried van Straaten, founder, Aid to the Church in Need

refugees, thus earning Fr. Werenfried the nickname of “the Bacon Priest.”

Fr. Werenfried challenged the limits of compassion and forgiveness. “People are much better than we think. And God, too, is much better than we think,” he said.

Though he died in 2003, Father Werenfried’s spirit still guides the work of Aid to the Church in Need today, as we continue to meet the urgent need for spiritual and pastoral care of the imperiled, oppressed and persecuted Church throughout the world.

Over the years, many committed Catholics from around the world have joined the calling of Father Werenfried. Our supporters respond to the suffering of the Church through prayers and financial support. We are grateful to our generous donors, whose acts of charity on behalf of our suffering brothers and sisters allow the Church to sustain ministries that would otherwise be impossible to continue.

— Father Hugh Barbour, O. Praem.Spiritual Director, Aid to the Church in Need

“The darker the night that sinks down over the world, the more

brightly shines the light of Mary, showing the seeker and the

straying the right way.”

Day 1

“You, too, have your sorrow, your cross, your weakness. Do not let them embitter you. Do not ask to understand what God wishes to conceal from you still. Do not doubt his love.”

Day 2

“God’s hand caresses the earth. His gentle countenance is bent with care

over its wounds.”Day 3

Day 4

“All those whom Christ has redeemed by his blood are

children of Mary. Not just the prayerful and the holy, but also the weak and the fainthearted.

As a loving mother, Mary wishes to save us all.”

Day 5

“God has never let us down! But only a rock-like trust will

guarantee that our prayers are heard; a trust that must be proved by living deeds.”

“Pray with unshakeable trust and with a heart that embraces both friend and foe in love. And the Lord will stoop down to us and his mercy will know no bounds.”

Day 6

“Christ demands a faith that will move mountains. And since he never demands the impossible, we can, in the strength of our faith, move aside mountains of misery and ignorance, of misunderstanding, hatred and selfishness.”

Day 7

“There is no postal service to Heaven. Anyone who wants to write a letter to God must address it to a human person, in whom God dwells”

Day 8

Day 9

“Love towards our enemies demands

that we pray for them without

ceasing, in the sure hope that they will

be converted.”

Day 10

“With your charity, you can comfort others, but with your love, you can

redeem them.”

Day 11

“Only the love which makes you poor can enrich you for all eternity.”

Day 12

“The love of God is not divisible, but gives itself completely. It is

free, and sets us free.”

Day 13

“People are much better than we think. And God, too, is much better

than we think.”

Day 14

“I am frightened by a Christianity that seeks to tone down God’s

demands to suit our human weaknesses instead of daily striving,

with a contrite heart, to rise again from our sins.”

Day 15

“It is easy to do good to a friend, but with an enemy it is a good

deal harder. And yet this precisely is the essence of the

Christian vocation.”

Day 16

“Need, love and thanks are the driving forces of our work

for the Church in Need.”

Day 17

“Love never grows old.”

Day 18

“ The essence of our work consists of

drying the tears

of God wherever

He weeps.”

Day 19

“More than any others, the persecuted Christians have a right

to our love. It is our duty to be more and more conscious of our

solidarity with them.”

Day 20

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph were the first refugees of the Christian age…The world has been filled with the homeless, the persecuted and the

refugees, in whom Christ pleads with us for love and support.”

Day 21

“Charity does not mean fine-sounding phrases. It means deeds and sacrifices. It claims a part of

ourselves.”

Day 22

“God has adorned the earth, however black and dark it may be, with a garment of holiness. Our Charity is a part of this robe, woven of threads of love and gratitude.”

Day 23

“ We can adopt a soul in

need and carry their

sorrows in our

prayers.”

Day 24

“Christianity is being tested. Persecuted Christians are tested in their faith. They ought to have a blind trust in God and believe in

his unfathomable providence. But we are all being tested

in our love.”

Day 25

“Neither war nor peace can ever

cause the truth of Our Lord’s words

to waver. He is and remains the same for

all eternity and his words will never

pass away.”

Day 26

“Our Christianity must once more become

ardent and glowing – the city on the hill

top and the light on the lamp stand – so that others will

recognize where truth and life are to be found!”

Day 27

“Those who defend the killing of unborn

life have no credibility when they demonstrate

against armaments. They themselves are a greater threat to peace for they

destroy peace with God.”

Day 28

“Only if you have love can Christ meet you too and say, ‘Peace

be with you.’ Where there is no love, peace is impossible. There is

no other way out but love.”

Day 29

“I remain an optimist because God is Love. He never ceases, through the outpouring of the

Holy Spirit, to fill the whole world with the love of Jesus and of all

who continue His life.”

Day 30

“Mary is with you when you have no other defense left but to pray, to be silent and to forgive. She is with you when you take up your cross and follow Christ.”

Letters f rom Our ACN Family

ACN has always been close to my heart, for it was through the words of Father Werenfried, almost 20 years ago, that God helped me to take the first steps on the path of my vocation. And now, thanks to your help in recent years, I can follow this authentic calling and be a missionary in the Amazon region. Thanks be to God!

Father Peter in Brazil

I thank the Lord for your work! What a moving witness; how uplifting your generosity, courage and love for God and for the most frail and needy! May God continue to help you with his immense mercy, and also be with all those who respond to your appeals. I send you my modest contribution with great joy, and I assure you that I am praying for you, and with you.

A benefactress in Portugal

We need more people to pray for your work and to know about what’s happening to people of faith around the world.

A supporter in California

The need is immense but the work your organization does always moves us into taking time to look into our hearts and responding. May God continue to bless the wonderful work of your organization and we pledge our continued support and prayers.

A family in Australia

Thank you once again for the wonderful love that you spread around the world to the suffering poor in body and spirit. You have my daily thoughts and prayers for your kind hearts and work for Jesus Christ.

A benefactor in Illinois

Prayer t o Mary

Mother, now that the need is at itsGreatest and the powers of darknessSeem to have free reign, we come to

You with childlike trust andImplore your powerful aid.

We consecrate ourselves to you.Preserve us in the love of your Son,

Protect us from the evil of thisWorld and lead us safe to the

Heart of God. Amen

Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913-2003)

Founder of Aid to the Church in Need

725 Leonard Street • Box 220384 • Brooklyn, NY • 112221-800-628-6333 • www.churchinneed.org

K E E P I N G T H E F A I T H A L I V E

Aid to the Church in NeedA Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father