Lent and a unifying faith

The value and meaning of Lent has, over time, evolved from my perspective as a child growing up in a Catholic household, to the lens of an itinerant who has lived in countries where religion is hardly spoken of or where the dominant faith is different from mine.

Beyond the de rigeur of fasting, prayer and almsgiving were times of refreshment that helped rouse my occasionally skeptic soul jolted by realities around me. In a country of abundance where supermarkets overflow with varieties of food – from the freshest produce to ready to cook meals or where a posh penthouse apartment houses only a mother and daughter with a pampered dog – one questions where equality lies at the sight of a humped woman rummaging a bin for food scraps or a band of homeless camping by the corners of Penn Station or Madison Square Garden in the dead of winter.

It was amidst this everyday backdrop when I sought answers and trusted in the goodness of humanity. I found inspiration from men and women, living or dead, who stand as beacons of hope in making our world a better place.

An uplifting story that hogged New York’s headlines early this month is the $1-billion gift Dr. Ruth Gottesman bestowed upon the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. How the 93-year-old former professor chose the college as beneficiary of the trust fund her 96-year-old husband “left me, unbeknownst to me, a whole portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway stock,” as she was quoted in a New York Times op-ed article, is the fulfillment of instructions before his death two years ago: “Do whatever you think is right with it.”

Why the Bronx, said to be New York’s most underprivileged borough, and Albert Einstein College where Dr. Gottesman worked since 1968 is, according to the NY Times piece, a beautiful story reminiscent of The Lion and the Mouse fable. It is the fruit of a precious friendship that blossomed in the time of Covid between the Gottesmans and Nigerian-born Dr. Philip Ozuah, who manages the college. The gift, in the very words of the benefactor, “will open it up for many other students whose economic status is such that they wouldn’t think about going to medical school,” the op-ed added.

I hope Dr. Gottesman’s unparalleled generosity wrapped in admirable humility would inspire – way beyond the Lenten spirit of almsgiving – our philanthropists, particularly those whose business interests have diversified in the areas of education and medicine.

Dr. Gottesman is said to have refused to rename the college after her, had insisted to retain the great scientist’s name and didn’t want the donation trumpeted, saying, “Nobody needs to know.”

Perhaps the Holy Week is a perfect time to reflect on what struck me in the NY Times story: Dr. Gottesman asked Dr. Ozuah, “If someone said I’ll give you a transformative gift for the medical school, what would you do?” The latter’s answer was “you could have education be free.”

From one inspiring woman to another, but one who has gone to the great beyond, is another formidable tale of love, courage and hope. We watched the movie “Cabrini” to celebrate Women’s Month and to enrich our Lenten journey. The powerful film allowed me to contemplate on the life of a selfless woman, an Italian immigrant who would eventually become America’s first saint.

The movie tells of Mother Francesca Xavier Cabrini, who with six other missionary nuns from Lombardi, Italy started an orphanage in the slums (yes, they existed in 19th century New York). Defying all odds – initially, resistance from the pope who eventually reneged (she wished to start a mission in China but was instead told to take care of Italian immigrants in America), the archbishop, mayor, politicians both in the US and Italy – Mother Cabrini demonstrated how courage, faith and charity can transform lives.

From a dilapidated structure in the shantytown to a more decent orphanage in the heart of Manhattan (which was opposed by the rich neighborhood) to finally a vast property donated by the Jesuits by the Hudson River, Mother Cabrini and her order of nuns eventually built not only homes and schools but hospitals throughout the US and around the world. That politicians and the rich at first discriminated against her and her work speak of Mother Cabrini’s resolve to transform lives with love and compassion. It led doubters to a change of heart. Mother Cabrini’s oppressors would eventually become her ardent patrons.

Fast forward 100-plus years since Mother Cabrini’s death, the same message of faith, hope and love echoes amidst our troubled world. It is the central theme encapsulated in meditation questions posed by charismatic priest and New York Times bestselling author, Fr. James Martin, SJ, when we attended an afternoon of Lenten recollection with him at the St. Francis of Assisi church.

“What am I going to pray about? What are the things we want to let go? Let die? What keeps us unafraid?” Confronted with Fr. James’ questions and inspired by his animated yet reflective talk on the story of Lazarus, the greatest miracle of Jesus, I thought of how hope remains enkindled while love and faith prevail as my high school batchmates, family and friends come together to support our friend’s 29-year old daughter’s chemotherapies, post mastectomy, following a diagnosis of the rare triple negative breast cancer. When Jesus performs more miracles I know my friend’s daughter, who happens to be my goddaughter, will receive one. So does another friend with whom I share a deep sisterhood and is fighting the same battle.

At the recollection, Fr. James mentioned about openness and trust. Openness and trust when fused with hope and love forms the bedrock of our faith. A unifying faith that believes in the power of the human spirit and all the more never loses sight of God’s mighty providence.