Sunday, November 8, 2009The Glorious Mysteries
We all come across them everyday—the “bums” and “panhandlers” who stand on street corners and even in the middle of the street in some cases, aggressively asking us for money through their hand-made signs that say, “Homeless, Please help”, or “Wounded Unemployed Vet, Anything Will Help, God Bless You.”
Go ahead, admit it—Admit that you’re just like me and your first thought is, “You look healthy enough to have a job! You must not WANT to work!” Or, “I’ll bet you HAD a job and you lost it because you drink or you take drugs or you won’t even take a bath!”
Now imagine that you and your son or daughter have just enough food for one more meal, then you’re going to have to become one of these “card-carrying whackos”, or die from starvation. THEN imagine that a prophet of God walks up to you and says, “Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink." You think, “OK, water is free, what’s that going to hurt?” So you leave to get it and he calls out to you, "Please bring along a bit of bread." What would you do? Would you share what little you have? I have to admit, I’m not sure I would.
We went to the Cal football game today. Outside of the stadium was a man who was in a wheelchair and he had a homemade sign that listed all sorts of ailments that afflicted him and a jar for donations. He made me realize something about myself, and what a hypocrite I am sometimes.
Go ahead, admit it—Admit that you’re just like me and your first thought is, “You look healthy enough to have a job! You must not WANT to work!” Or, “I’ll bet you HAD a job and you lost it because you drink or you take drugs or you won’t even take a bath!”
Now imagine that you and your son or daughter have just enough food for one more meal, then you’re going to have to become one of these “card-carrying whackos”, or die from starvation. THEN imagine that a prophet of God walks up to you and says, “Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink." You think, “OK, water is free, what’s that going to hurt?” So you leave to get it and he calls out to you, "Please bring along a bit of bread." What would you do? Would you share what little you have? I have to admit, I’m not sure I would.
We went to the Cal football game today. Outside of the stadium was a man who was in a wheelchair and he had a homemade sign that listed all sorts of ailments that afflicted him and a jar for donations. He made me realize something about myself, and what a hypocrite I am sometimes.
Understand that I don’t carry cash with me ever since I was robbed at gunpoint in a hotel room years ago. I don’t know why that would prevent me from carrying cash—a potential strong-arm robber wouldn’t know I don’t have anything for him until AFTER the crime was started! But nonetheless, it makes me FEEL safer. Anyway, I have begun to use this idiosyncrasy of mine to excuse my sin of not helping my fellow man as Jesus asks me to in the Gospels. When confronted by these unfortunate souls for help, I simply say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t carry cash,” as if that let’s me “off the hook” with Jesus for not helping them. What I realized after I got home tonight and read the readings for tomorrow is that I have something GREATER than cash that I can give to help my brothers and sisters in Christ—It’s called prayer, and a faith in God’s mercy through His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit! But I didn’t even offer THAT to the guy in the wheelchair today. When I say my rosary tonight, I will be sure to offer it up for him—I’m sure Mary will intercede to her Son for me and apply the graces of the prayer to that man’s plight.
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