Answering the Call … (04/11/15)
My Friends, we have not been called to judge the homeless or criticize the downtrodden or turn a deaf ear to the cries of the poor … True enough, maybe some of my homeless compatriots ARE “lazy bums”; and maybe some of them ARE “getting what they deserve”; and maybe more than a few of them ARE alcoholics & drug addicts: and maybe a handful of them ARE indeed “scumbag con-artists”.
And yet, when it gets right down to it, none of those things matter the least little bit — none of these excuses are valid reasons for denying these people a moment of basic decency or a few minutes of Kindness. Indeed, it doesn’t matter one bit that my dear Friend David has given up on trying to find work — and it doesn’t matter one bit that my dear Friend Mary fell “deservedly” on hard times after committing a number of mistakes that caused others great pain — and it doesn’t matter one bit that my dear Friend Joseph is indeed addicted to beer and pain-killers — and it doesn’t matter one bit that my dear Friend Paul isn’t homeless at all, but still chooses to debase himself by sitting in dirty clothes just to get some “easy cash”.
No, my dear Friends who are still blessed with homes of your own, none of these are valid reasons for doing the one thing we have each been Called to do in this all-too-short life we have each been given — namely, to reach out to ALL those who are down and extend a helping hand; to reach out to ALL those who feel invisible to let them know we See them; to reach out to ALL those who are unloved to touch them on the shoulder, look them in the eyes, and let them know that we truly Care.
Amen … Let it be so.
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