Walking with Pope Leo during Easter, Episode 6

The Inseparable Bond Podcast: “Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone”

With Fr. Ron Will, CPPS

“We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor.”

—“I Have Love You,” the apostolic letter of Pope Leo XIV

In Episode 6, Fr. Ron talks with Precious Blood Companions Jeanne and Bernie Verssue in an episode titled “Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone.”

Watch the video to hear the full interview. Here are excerpts from Episode 6. They have been edited for lengthen and clarity.

Fr. Ron Will: During the recent season of Lent, a group of us did a study of Pope Leo XIV’s  apostolic letter Dilexi Te, which means “I have loved you” and the “you” refers to the poor. God has loved and continues to love the poor in a special way. If you have viewed any of the first five episodes in this series, then you know that in this letter, Pope Leo quotes passages from the Old Testament and the New Testament; he tells stories about saints in the early history of our church, all the way through to contemporary saints.

He quotes passages from church documents, all talking about how God’s heart goes out in a special way for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the alienated, and how God calls his people to pay special attention to the poor, the orphan, the alienated and the underserved. God loves all of us, but like a mother who may have several children, and if one of them gets really seriously sick, she gives extra time, extra love, extra attention to that child in need in a parallel way. God loves all of us. … God hears the cry of the poor, and God responds to that cry through you and me. We are members of the Body of Christ. Christ acts through his members.

Pope Leo reminds us that to be Catholic means to love the poor. … This is part of our Catholic teaching. This is not a new teaching by Pope Leo. Love for the poor is not an option. … It’s an expectation by our God to love the poor

In this series, we are meeting individuals who are trying to take that command of God seriously and apply it to their personal lives and to their parish lives. Today I’m visiting with Jeanne and Bernie Verssue, who are members of St. James Parish here in Liberty, Missouri.

You read Pope Leo’s apostolic letter along with a group of us during the season of Lent, and you shared with me that the letter reminded you about how years ago you started helping at Open Door Food Kitchen when you lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. That seems to have started an involvement that has continued until today. So perhaps you could start by sharing something about why do you feel this nudge to get involved with ministries like that?

Jeanne Verssue: The Open Door food kitchen and pantry was my first experience, our first exposure to meeting the poor face to face. You know, you can donate to the missions and [charities], which we do, but actually to face it. So that was our first experience. I think the openness to serve the poor; I call it my journey because in journeys I think you grow with experiences you have and in your spirituality. So, for me, it’s been a growing experience.

You learn that’s a lesson, learning to accept them. But also, you kind of get, I have to get out of my comfort zone. It’s a new experience, but it’s been a wonderful experience for me spiritually.

We are companions to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. So, this experience also has enhanced my spirituality.

Reading the pope’s letter during Lent, especially the quoting scripture and experience and stories of the saints has made me realize that I have myself experienced some of these things. One time we delivered bread to a facility in the city. Across the street was a lady [lying] on a mattress, homeless person. I couldn’t decide for a few minutes if I should take food to her, but I did. And that’s the first time I’ve ever realized I saw Jesus’ face in her. Because scripture talks about how we see God’s face in the people that we serve for.

Fr. Ron Will: So you had some kind of an encounter with God when you served that lady? Yes.

Jeanne Verssue: Yes. I think that’s when the spirituality and the call to serve increases.

Bernie Verssue: Wisdom and understanding is what I [took from the apostolic letter]. Pope Leo just reiterated everything that we were taught as children and through Christian lives and Catholic life. But like Jeannie says, until you walk the talk, you kind of put it out of your mind. … [Studying the letter] was really an eye-opening series for me. I don’t want any kind of glory or nothing from it, but I really feel like I’m doing what God wants me to do, and that’s basically what I got out of the entire Lenten study. …

Fr. Ron Will: One of the things both of you said, you kind of learned this as kids, it’s good to love to poor, but when you saw them face to face — you said “walk the talk” — it put another dimension on your heart and on your mind. … What about us who don’t have this daily opportunity or weekly opportunity to meet the poor face-to-face? How would you nudge us or encourage us to to get involved, to move beyond our comfort zone, so to speak?

Jeanne Verssue: Well, I think that we’re fortunate enough that we’re able to do these volunteer things, but, you know, sometimes I think it’s just small things. Maybe you have a neighbor who you know is elderly, you can just offer to help her out sometimes, or even sometimes if you have extra little of your meal after dinner, maybe call her and ask her if she wants something. Somebody said to me recently, “to do missionary work, you don’t have to go to the missions.”  It’s in your own neighborhood or it’s in your church.

There are small ways [to help]. You can’t always go out and do the volunteer work, but poverty is in everybody’s, backyard. Sometimes I don’t think we see it. Sometimes it’s doing small things. And it takes, again, stepping out of that comfort zone.

Bernie Verssue: A number of the people that we encounter aren’t necessarily just lacking food. I see it at the pantry. Some of those people, the only hugs they get is from us [at the pantry].

Fr. Ron Will: That’s a good awareness. It makes me think that it’s one thing even to serve at the food pantry. I can hand out food and kind of like an assembly line or I can work at a soup kitchen. And again, it’s kind of an assembly line, but you’re taking that other step. Looking them in the face, in the eye, calling them by name. Get to know their names and sit with them, that’s responding to the emotional poverty that they’re feeling.

Some Background

This series grew out of a study group Fr. Ron led during Lent reading Leo’s apostolic letter. Inspired by discussion during these study sessions, Fr. Ron wanted to have deeper conversations on themes and ideas the group brought up.

Pope Leo’s letter is itself a response to Pope Francis’ last encyclical letter, “Dilexit Nos” (I Have Loved You), which was a moving mystical mediation on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and God’s immeasurable, inexhaustible love of all creation, especially the least among us.

During this Easter Season, let’s pray together for the coming of the Holy Spirit to inspire and energize us to love those whom God loves.

Listen in every Tuesday during the Easter Season, leading up to the celebration of Pentecost.

All of the videos in this series can be found here: The Inseparable Bond Podcast

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[Fr. Ron Will, a Precious Blood priest and spiritual director, is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union and Creighton University’s School of Christian Spirituality. He has a special interest in helping form intentional disciples of Jesus, encouraging others to go spiritually deep-sea diving to explore a deeper relationship with God, and walking with people as they dive into the ocean of God’s mystery experiencing God rather than simply dipping one’s toe into the water.]

We encouraged you to read the apostolic letter. You can download a copy for free from the Vatican’s website or buy a copy at your favorite bookstore.

Learn more about “Dilexi Te” (I Have Loved You)

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