In today’s Gospel, Jesus said: “Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
That seems like a lot to ask. Give to the one who asks of you. No stipulations, No limits, No restrictions. Give to the one who asks – period.
For many years, I never gave to anyone standing on the corner asking for money. I would go buy a meal and take it back to them sometimes, but not cash. That person could use the money for cigarettes, alcohol, or even illegal drugs.
Gradually, over the years, the concept of almsgiving during Lent changed my mind. God asks that we give to the poor., That is our obligation, it’s not up to us to judge or condemn, especially without even knowing the person. And so I began to give to the person on the corner with a cardboard sign asking for help.
It was an honor to be at Father Dave’s ordination in Pittsburgh this past Saturday. As I was leaving the Cathedral to go back to the Turnpike, trying to follow the GPS prompts and keep track of where I was headed, there was a woman standing at the intersection with a cardboard sign that read “Homeless. Anything helps.” The traffic light for the entrance onto the Interstate Highway to go to the Turnpike was changing. I could have stopped but drove on thru in my rush to get on the road.
As I drove past the woman, I saw the desperation in her face. She looked scared. That look will always be with me. I could have and should have stopped for the light and helped in a small way. In my haste, I drove by.
These are the marginalized of society. The forgotten people who are alone, scared, and desperate. There are many reasons why they are Homeless. A good friend of mine, Deacon Frank, was the Director of Deacons and Senior Priests. Now he is the Director of Seattle Night Watch. His Ministry of Charity was to go with several other deacons and leaders from Night Watch into North Aurora Avenue and the Jungle in Seattle. The area along the I5 corridor where the Tent Cities are abundant is called the Jungle. Anything goes there and many of the Homeless fear for their lives but have no place to go.
Deacon Frank would post the team’s encounters with people on their walk at night to hand out food, water and to spend time talking with those who wanted to talk, to hand out a rosary and to pray with those who permitted it.
Deacon Frank has an extremely unique way of writing about the encounters in the dark. He uses one initial for each person and describes the pain, the agony and at times the joy of those the team meets.
Deacon Frank’s writings make you realize that each person deserves to be treated with respect and given the dignity of one of God’s Children regardless of their circumstances.
Everyone wants to be loved, to be treated with kindness and given hope that things will get better when they are at the bottom of life. This applies to you and me as well when we are discouraged and think that life is hopeless.
I preached a similar homily a number of years ago. One of the families told me that their son asked about helping the Homeless. She suggested that they buy some $10 McDonalds gift cards to hand out. What a great idea. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get a meal for $10 from any fast-food place today.
I pray that I will slow down and help the next time I see a person with a cardboard sign asking for help. Jesus tells us to help others without any reservations. Then, after we have helped, we must pray for the safekeeping of God’s Child in this world.
