Faith, Action, Results.

"Faith, if it does not have works, is dead."

James 2:17

   As our pilgrimage in the Holy Land continues its course, we keep ourselves attentive to the various aspects that shape our identity as Catholics. Today, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in the Holy Land explained to us all of their efforts that are intended to put to work our faith. CRS, founded in 1943 by US bishops, is an official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the US that reaches about 100 million people in more than 100 countries worldwide. To be more specific, CRS in the Holy Land encompasses and serves in the territories of Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. Beginning in the 1940’s, CRS provided assistance to the refugees who were displaced as a consequence of the devastation of World War II.
 
This morning, the CRS Country Representative, Hilary DuBose, visited us and spent about an hour presenting to us a very general but comprehensive view of all the different programs that they run in order to achieve their mission. The emergency response program, the urban agricultural livelihood program, and the child and family health program are just an example of the several ways in which this humanitarian Catholic agency assists the poor and vulnerable in need, regardless of their creed, race, and/or nationality. Personally, I was startled while I was hearing some of the statistics, especially those related to the Gaza Strip. This small Palestinian territory with little more than 1.8 million inhabitants, suffers a rate of 42% unemployment and 57% of its population live in poverty.
 
After DuBose’s presentation we had the opportunity to visit some of the programs of CRS in the Holy Land. First, we visited one of the Saving and Internal Lending communities (SILCs). There, we witnessed a very basic but effective and trustworthy way of saving. A SILC is a self-selected group of people who pool their money into a fund from which members can both save and borrow. As interest is forbidden in Islam, they will not be charged with any of it when they begin to payback. It was very interesting to hear from the members of this SILC as they shared some of their different goals for which they were saving. They went from buying a laptop to helping themselves pay for different household needs.
 
   After lunch, we stopped by a small piece of land to see and hear of another program that helps people to reactivate it, making it fruitful. We also witnessed the struggles of these people that are related with laws and their uncertainty about the future.
   Finally, we visited the Women Solidarity Project. This is a livelihood project for women where they make traditional Palestinian embroidery. Some of us took advantage of the opportunity to buy some of their work, adding another check mark to our souvenirs’ gift list.
 
   Overall, it was a day in which we saw faith in action. Indeed, it helped us to understand in a more concrete way the CRS slogan: Faith. Action. Results. I would like to end this note asking you to support the CRS in any way you can. Also, after you finish reading this article please take a moment to pray for peace in the Holy Land.

Thank you for reading us!

Peace to you all!