JESUS on the streets

Human Dignity and Social Justice

2011-06-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

"If you want peace, work for justice." - Pope Paul VI

There are many ways to work for justice in our world. Christian teaching on human dignity and social justice spans far and wide. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

What does this mean for each of us in our daily lives?

First, we must look at where our dignity and identity is rooted.

As Christians we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a "Gospel of life." It invites all persons and societies to a new life lived abundantly in respect for human dignity. (Living the Gospel of Life)

Central to the principle of human dignity is the understanding that, every human being is created in the image of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, destined for union with God, and therefore worthy of respect as a member of the human family.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (a summary and expansion of Scriptures) tells us this:

1718. In what is the dignity of the human person rooted? (CCC 1700)
The dignity of the human person is rooted in man’s creation in the image and likeness of God.

1719. Where is the dignity of the human person fulfilled? (CCC 1700)
The dignity of the human person is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude.

1720. How is the dignity of the human person fulfilled on the part of man? (CCC 1700)
The dignity of the human person is fulfilled on the part of man through:
1. performing free human acts
2. conforming to moral conscience
3. growing in virtue
4. avoiding sin.

If we do not value the life of each human person, then it's difficult to work for social justice.

Second, we need to define social justice.

In order to define social justice, let us begin, by taking a look at what social ministry is:

Social Ministry has two main aspects: social service (also known as Parish Outreach) and social action

Social Service is giving direct aid to someone in need. It usually involves performing one or more of the corporal works of mercy. That is, giving alms to the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick or imprisoned, taking care of orphans and widows, visiting the shut-ins etc. Another name for it is charity.

Social Action is correcting the structures that perpetuate the need. Another name for this is Social Justice. Through the lens of social justice, we begin to take a look at the problems and issues facing us in our own communities, the nation and finally the world, and we begin to ask questions such as,

"Why is there so much unemployment in our area?"

"Why are there so many poor in our community?"

"How will the deforestation of our rain forests affect our global climate?" etc...

Very often when you are performing social service, you also become involved in solving the problem which created the need in the first place, and the two are closely related and often blend together. An example of this would be, someone comes to your food pantry, and tells you he/she has no food, because he/she lost their job recently. You may know of an employer looking to hire someone right away for a job requiring little or no skills. You give that person food, then place that person in touch with the employer.

You then would have solved both problems for that person. (a) the immediate need of food through an act of charity (social service) and (b) you would have corrected the problem which created and perpetuated the need. (social justice)

Sciptural references for our human identity:

We are all One Body in Christ -1Cor 12:12

Together we are Christ's Body, each of us a different part -1Cor 12:27

All are one in Christ -Gal 3:28

"I am the Vine, you are the branches.." -John 15:1-5

You are God's temple. -1Cor 3:16

Vatican II document: "Constitution on the Church" Chapter 1 states that the Church is:
#1. A sign and instrument in the world.
#3. The Kingdom of Christ here on earth.
#7. All of us are to use our gifts to serve one another.
#9. Not as individuals are we called to be saved, but as One Body.

Then, what should we do? What is our mission as Christians?

Jesus begins His ministry of bringing the Good News to the poor. -Luke 4:16-19

At the Last Judgement Christ will seperate the sheep from the goats. -Matt 25:31-46

You are the Salt of the Earth. -Matt 5:3-16

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. -Matt 5:6-9

The goals of social justice and church outreach are the same: To follow the command to "love one another as I have loved you".

To enable everyone to enter into a relationship with Christ in such a way, so that everyone can come to know Christ in the same way that the Father knows the Son.

If we think about this for a moment, it becomes clear. If our basic human needs are met, that is to say that if we are not concerned with obtaining food, clothing, shelter etc., then we are better able to enter into a closer relationship with Christ.

So, we step out to serve lunch in Veteran's Park each Saturday, but our vision is much broader than the food. We offer ourselves - our desires, our gifts - in God's hands and pray that He transforms our offering and transforms those who are served to seek after Him.

We ask to look through Christ's eyes to see the dignity and value in each person we meet - just as Christ does.

There are many facets involved. Yet if we focus on human dignity, work for social justice, and open the eyes of our hearts, then our Lord will lead each of us (with our individual gifts) down the right path and take care of the details of those in need.

We need to pray for peace, trust in God's omnipotent plan and take action - TOGETHER.

This means we must collaborate as the body of Christ and with those of different faiths, as well. There is strength in unity.

Almighty and eternal God, may Your grace enkindle in all of us a love for the many unfortunate people whom poverty and misery reduce to a condition of life unworthy of human beings.

Arouse in the hearts of those who call You Father a hunger and thirst for social justice and for fraternal charity in deeds and in truth.

Grant, O Lord, peace to souls, peace to families, peace to our country and peace among nations. Amen.

Jesus on the streets - in Brazil

2011-02-14T07:31:00.001-08:00

Amazon Relief brings aid and Christ’s love to "at risk" children and the poor who live in "The Green Hell"— an area near the equator, 1,200 miles up the Amazon River. The poverty in the region can hardly be described. Many children and families live in overcrowded shacks, built on stilts over perpetually fermenting sewage. There are no roads into these areas — only foot traffic over precarious docks. And then there’s the heat, the humidity, the disease, the lack of food.....

A friend of mine recently wrote an article on her blog detailing the mission of Amazon Relief. Please visit her 'Christianity101blog to read Parts 1 (detailed information of the beautiful mission to the poor) and 2 (David's story).

Below I have reprinted my interview. It really describes how Jesus is on the streets everywhere if we open our hearts and eyes to see.

1. Tell us how you first met Jim and Lois Flickinger and what led to your trip to the Amazon?

I first met Jim and Lois serving lunch for the homeless and those in need at the ‘Tuesday lunch’ in downtown Grand Rapids. I had begun a Saturday lunch program, ‘Jesus on the streets’. We joined forces under their non-profit. Shortly after, my husband and I started formation for Third Order Franciscans in the same fraternity they are in.

2. Where exactly did you go in the Amazon and what was your main purpose for going there?

We flew to Manaus, Brazil, a city of around two million people at the mouth of the Amazon River and stayed with a beautiful couple, Josue and Raimunda, who have been hosting Jim and Lois for 15 years.
We also journeyed by plane deep into the Amazon jungle to spend time with the Munduruku Indians. We stayed overnight at a Franciscan mission established almost 100 years ago to help the Munduruku.
My main purpose for going on this mission trip was to see Amazon Relief in action, to meet Jesus Christ in people of Brazil and see how we could further help them and also learn from them.

3. How long were you there, and what kinds of things did you do?

Our trip was eight days. We visited schools funded by Amazon Relief, playing with the kids and sitting in on some of their classes. We walked along broken streets visiting the homes of school children built on the edge of raw sewage. The homes, built out of scrap materials, were the about 12’ x 12’. By our standards they would be seen as dirty and small, but the mothers kept their very neat and tidy and warmly welcomed us in. We took the families of school children out for dinner; spent time learning and playing with children at the home run by the Sisters of Charity. They take care of children age birth through five years who would otherwise be on the streets or home alone all day; visited the leper colony where we sang songs, listened and shared hugs and smiles with “Jesus in disguise.” We served lunch in various parks, very similar to our ministry with the poor here except that this would be the only meal the people would eat for 1-2 days.) We also spent much time with various Franciscan priests and sisters, witnessing them live out the gospel in their ministry to the people of Manaus and in the Indian villages along the various rivers in the jungle.

4. What was your most profound memory from your trip?

There were many profound memories from my trip. It’s difficult to choose just one!They all center around the people – the lepers and especially the children. Everyone in Brazil invites you in with their beautiful dark eyes and huge smiles. Upon entering the walls of the first school we visited, I was surrounded by a sea of smiling children. They showered me with hugs and greetings like I was a dear friend. The only way to describe the scene is that my soul was so overwhelmed with joy I thought this must be what heaven is like – unharnessed love! They quickly swept me away with them to the playground. Yes, there is much material poverty, yet the children have an inner joy we don’t normally see here in the states.

My most cherished memories are the times we spent with two boys, Willame and Gabriel. Jim and Lois met them two-three years ago, and these boys immediately captured my heart with their warm smiles and gentle, courteous ways. We spent time with the boys every day we were in Manaus. First some background on the boys:
Willame is 15 years old, lives with his grandparents and nine other children in a two room tin-roofed wooden shack. His grandfather is the only one working a job – selling popsicles! This provides very little income for the twelve people living there. The threat of malaria is always present and malnourishment in the family is prevalent.

Willame sleeps on the bare floor with no pillow or blanket with two other children in a room about 8’ x 8’. Only recently were they able to put in a toilet. Many of the homes use a hole in the floor where the waste is deposited below the house. When it rains, the sewage and trash flow freely in the streets and in trenches built to help the problem. Precarious bridges are built over the flowing river of sewage in order to get from one part of the slums to the other.

Gabriel, 11, lives nearby with his older brothers. Like Willame, he never knew his father, and his mother deserted him a few years earlier. He is a shy, but caring young boy with eyes that cry out to be loved. He is a good student who loves to sing.

Seeing pictures of where these boys and others live doesn’t give the full picture. Food is scarce, dogs bark constantly day and night, along with other noises like the deafening rain on the tin roof. The air is hot and humid with a stench of raw sewage, and there is little to no privacy in which the kids can study for school.
With all these circumstances, the boys were kind, eager to spend time with me playing games, talking or studying for school at the home where we stayed. They held my hand whenever we crossed the very busy streets and made sure I didn’t step in any holes or on trash.

One night we took them out for pizza. The two boys and I played foosball in the back room of the restaurant after we ate - such a simple time, but so full of joy. None of us wanted the night to end. On the drive back to their neighborhood, they leaned their heads on my shoulder and just smiled. The day before we left for home, Gabriel asked if we could take him with us in our suitcase! Willame and I hugged and cried at the airport at our departure. I told him that he was a strong boy. Most 15 year-old boys hold back their tears for fear of embarrassment, but not here. I would adopt these boys in a moment, but truly believe what’s needed is to see that they are nourished and cared for in a safe, loving environment; given spiritual formation to know the love of Christ and offered a good education so they can thrive in their own country. Then they can give back in their own culture and make it a better place for everyone else there also. Through Amazon Relief, Willame and Gabriel and other children like them are not without hope. Amazon Relief provides some of that hope.
Every day I pray for the children’s’ spiritual and physical safety. I hope you will, too.

Our time in the leper colony was so beautiful I didn’t want to leave. There is much suffering – physical, spiritual, emotional, financial – among those afflicted with leprosy. What shines above all this is the peace that permeates the atmosphere in the hospital. It’s hard to describe how suffering and peace can co-exist in one place, but the people I met showed me great strength and hope that only comes from deep faith in God.
As we were visiting with people at the leper hospital, a gentleman walked by us a few times. The third time he passed by, he just stopped right in front of me. We looked deep into each others eyes for what seemed an eternity, but was really about 15 seconds. He then gently took my hand, smiled, nodded and quietly walked away. Mother Teresa always said she saw Christ in the poor. That day, in that moment, Jesus was there in that man.
God did show me Christ in the people of Brazil. Around every turn, in various people and circumstances, Jesus was present teaching me and calling for help from His brothers and sisters around the world.

5. What specifically is Amazon Relief able to do with donations?

Donations provide financial support for six schools for young children (4-14 years of age). Currently the schools serve over 1,000 children, teaching them reading, writing, arithmetic, gardening and hygiene --- and feeding them a meal each day.
Working with "graduates" of our schools (children who have gone through our schools) as they continue their education. We have established an accelerated learning/tutoring program designed to help high school children prepare for college; we have hired a professor to give computer instruction; we have begun to provide computers and textbooks to some of our graduates; and we are giving some tuition funds for further educational opportunities.
Donations fund two vocational schools in remote areas of the jungle wherein over 200 high school age students learn skills which are useful and will provide them with jobs in the community (woodworking, motor repair, cooking, sewing, etc.).
They offer adult education courses to parents of our students.
They fund eight soup kitchens which provide over 3,000 weekly meals, provide food, medicine and clothing for the poor.
They provide education and spiritual support within the leper colony. Also, special carts are provided for those with leprosy which allows them greater mobility.

Please pray for the people of the Amazon and consider donating to this mission. 100% of donations go right to the cause. Not even 1% of your money will go to administrative costs.

The Gift of Giving

2011-01-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Victoria Verberg who served Christ in the poor on Christmas day.
It is beautiful to see God's people bringing the church outside of the four walls and into the streets.

"Christ has no body not but yours; no hands no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world; yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world."

Hot, homemade turkey noodle soup, chicken barbeque sandwiches, brownies, oatmeal raisin
cookies, coffee and hot chocolate were on the menu this past Christmas Day for our homeless
and less-fortunate in downtown Grand Rapids. All were served with a smile by the Verberg family and friends at the Veteran’s Park.

Hearts on both sides of the food table were warmed as cold fingers served and received
items of sustenance. In lieu of material presents this year, the Verberg Children were provided the opportunity to receive the gift of giving. For three cold hours, the Verberg kids and other volunteers passed out food, drinks, warm clothing and boots to the underprivileged residents
of our community.

Many conversations took place with a variety of extremely interesting people, sharing stories of misfortune, hard times and poor choices. When asked, the Verberg kids summed up their Christmas experience as “awesome” and “the best Christmas ever.”

This inspiring event is part of Amy Oatley’s “Jesus on the Streets” program. Each Saturday, a chosen person or group is given the honor of providing a meal in the Park. The Grand Rapids Young Marines Staff is in the process of booking a date for the Young Marines to participate again in this worthy project.

May our Lord bless you and keep you in His loving arms today and always as you serve HIM.

Thanks be to God!

2010-12-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

"I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:3-5

Thanks be to God for all those who have faithfully served in this ministry over the past two years. There are so many loving and generous people who have stepped out to be the hands and feet of Christ for our brothers and sisters in need. You know who you are. You know in your heart how the good Lord has changed you. Yes, there is much more we don't know: how many countless brothers and sisters have experienced change through the power of God in us. How many have experienced mercy, compassion, forgiveness, repentance, joy, HOPE because someone took a step to meet them where they are.

You have given of your time, talents and treasure for the kingdom of God.

You are the owners of Crane Dance Farms donating over 100 pounds of organic meat this past year for nutritious soup and brats. You are the friend from Carhartt donating hundreds of socks, gloves and hats to help people stay warm. You are the women donating proceeds from your business to help supply the food. You are the friend sitting at home crocheting blankets of love and warmth for those sleeping outside; the kids making blankets and coloring pictures of joy on lunch bags. You are the families handing out job listings, Bibles, rosaries, prayer cards. You are family and friends who have sent money for food and bus passes. You are adults and youth in homes and churches across our community who have faithfully given many hours preparing sandwiches, soups, meals, fruit, desserts, lemonade and hot chocolate, many hours praying, many hours joyfully serving and listening in the heat, the rain and the snow, hours purchasing and sorting used and NEW clothing... You are the homeless and the jobless who pray with us, help us carry all the supplies to and from the park each week, and minister to your fellow men and women from right where they are as children of God... The list goes on and on.

More importantly, together you have all been faithful to Jesus' commandment in the 25th chapter of Matthew's Gospel.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

I have heard numerous stories of sorrow from people on the streets. Yet, I have heard MORE stories of hope because of people's decision to get off their couch and out of their comfort zone to meet brothers and sisters in need - not only in this ministry but in various ministries around Grand Rapids. God uses our brokenness to show His strength. Only He knows the depth of His love that has been shown and received. Every one of us are links in God's chain on the road to eternal life. Each link is important. When He calls, we must answer. If we do not, then the body of Christ - the church - will suffer as we can see in happening in our world today. Our loving God allows suffering, but He does not make us suffer. We do that by our refusal to know, love and serve Him.

The kingdom of God IS at hand, and our Father has called us to be His hands, His feet, His voice at this point in time to bring the Good News to those around us for conversion of hearts and souls.

Clearly, God gives the grace of conversion. In a manner of speaking, we are just the sales people. Still, we must witness in love to the Word of God and let God do the rest. Thank you, again, to everyone who has given - even those across the globe who contact me with your prayers.

“Christ has no body but yours; no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world; yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body. Christ has no body now but yours; no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours”. – St. Theresa of Avila

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you today and in the coming year. May you grow in charity towards one another and towards all people.

Jesus Is Coming!

2010-09-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

A Medley Minute: Jesus Is Coming!

This is thought-provoking.
Thank you, Father Samuel Medley, S.O.L.T for sharing the wisdom of the Holy Spirit!

Perseverance and prayer

2010-08-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today join me in praising the Lord for prayers answered for our friend, Mike! He has a job and his faith remains strong.

Mike used to have many tools for woodworking and construction until they were stolen last year. Months before that, he entered the "homeless" sector and had to store the tools at a friend's house.

One evening we got a phone call from Mike telling us his friend was close to dying. He had contracted a rare and quick-spreading cancer and was going downhill fast. Todd raced downtown to pick Mike up. They drove over to the friend's house and prayed at his bedside.

Two days later, the friend died. Unfortunately, the tools Mike has stored at his house were stolen.

This was the one-two punch for Mike as he was still reeling from his friend's death. With his tools gone, any chance for a pick-up construction job was slim to none. He held on to the Lord and persevered through a rough winter and spring. Many times, he wondered what would be next. Mike's faith and perseverance astounded me. He kept giving of himself when others were in need and always greeted me with a smile and hug even when his eyes told of struggles.

Of course, the Holy Spirit was at work all along. Once we shared the news of Mike's tools being stolen, a generous group of friends came together with donations for a surprise purchase for Mike - new tools and some terrific previously-used tools that looked and worked like new. He was going to have all he needed to tackle any big jobs that opened up.

Long story short (I know, too late!) a few guys got together with Mike and took him shopping. Mike was all about bargain hunting and making the best use of the money gifted to him. He was overwhelmed with gratitude.

After dinner one night, he asked us to store the tools in our home for safe-keeping since he didn't have any jobs lined up at the time. Soon, days turned into weeks and weeks into months with no work. We trusted God had prepared Mike with the tools. Wait patiently on the Lord...

Mike landed a couple odd jobs, but nothing big.

We hadn't seen or heard from Mike for over a month, but this morning he called and asked if I could bring the tools down to him at Matthew's House because he has two good jobs lined up starting tomorrow. Praise God!!

I met him on the sidewalk with a big hug. He then introduced me to Pastor George who is going to let Mike store the tools there. George told me about Matthew's House and their mission.

Let's just say that when the red-tape of the big agencies gets twisted up, the "little guys" (aka area churches and other groups) come together in big ways to assist and empower struggling brothers and sisters. It's a beautiful thing. The more God's family works together, the more His glory is shown. Jesus never said help just those who go to your church or live in your neighborhood or your own country. Whatever you do for the least of these...

We serve a mighty God Who chooses to work with great love through His sinful children. How amazing is that??

Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
-Theresa of Avila

Take a moment to give glory, honor and praise to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is at work in your life and the lives of many others this very moment.

Participating in God's work

2010-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..

After a meeting this evening with fellow life counselors (sidewalk counselors outside our local abortion clinics), I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the Holy Spirit at work.
The Perpetual Eucharistic Chapel was close by, so I drove over and just collapsed in awe and thanksgiving before our Lord.
All glory, honor and praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!

Lord, how is it that You allow us sinners, us unlearned men and women, to participate in your Divine plan? You have no need of us, but still daily allow Your greatness to shine through our weakness. We only need to come to You and ask.
What greater blessing could we want or hope for than to know and trust Christ's love and be able to share that love with others??

While serving lunch in the park last Saturday, a woman was saying, "you will receive a great reward for this." Will receive? "We are receiving right now," I said, "by coming together in the unity of Christ with our brothers and sisters." Being a slave, a servant, of Christ is the reward. Through serving Him, He allows me to know Him better. He opens my eyes to His presence in every day occurrences. I experience the longing in many brothers and sisters that we meet.
The Holy Spirit convicts me of my sinfulness and, at the same time, creates an awareness of God's mercy that has rained down to save me each and every day.

There were many days in the past when I lived in mortal sin. I worshipped the God of the flesh and lived for the pleasures of this world. Thankfully, my Lord did not allow me to die in my sins. Now I can not stand the thought of another person on the verge of suffering eternal death. Of course, God is God and I am not. He gives each of us free will to choose good or evil. We need to pray for wisdom on how to help others on this journey and humbly received help when we are in the wrong.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Wouldn't you rather know the love of Christ and be able to participate as His disciple every day than have all the riches of the world? Do we spend more time judging others?

Are we concerned more with trying to fix them or praying for the grace to accept each individual right where they are?

How often do we tell others how much Jesus loves them?

Most days it's difficult for me to contain the joy, pain and gratitude amid the emptiness of all this world offers. Aside from faith, family/community, serving and the beauty of creation, everything else "is rubbish" as St. Paul said.

This is the daily carrying of the cross.

How then did the apostles feel actually being near Christ, walking with Him every day amid the darkness of their times? Where they overwhelmed that He chose them, simple as they were? Were they impatient, frustrated, joyful? Most likely, they were. Yet, Jesus chose them to participate in His divine plan and loved them through it all.

Today's Gospel in John 1:45-51 tells of Nathanael (Bartholomew) exclaiming, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” because Jesus mentioned that He saw Nathanael sitting under a fig tree before He even met Nathanael. Then Jesus said, "You will see greater things than this.”And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
There must have been some amazing power of the Lord at work in the apostles to be with and follow Jesus every day without being stopped in their tracks at the awesomeness of it all. This, too, before the Holy Spirit was unleashed upon them revealing the fullness of the Truth!

To the world, the cross of Christ seems like foolishness. But to those of us striving to enter the kingdom of Heaven it is beautiful and necessary.

Along this subject line, I would like to share the wisdom of John Chrysostom from today's Office of Readings from the Liturgy of Hours. It is from his Homily on the First Letter to the Corinthians: 'The weakness of God is stronger than men'

It was clear through unlearned men that the cross was persuasive, in fact, it persuaded the whole world. Their discourse was not of unimportant matters but of God and true religion, of the Gospel way of life and future judgement, yet it turned plain, uneducated men into philosophers. How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and his weakness stronger than men!
In what way is it stronger? It made its way throughout the world and overcame all men; countless men sought to eradicate the very name of the Crucified, but that name flourished and grew ever mightier. Its enemies lost out and perished; the living who waged a war on a dead man proved helpless. Therefore, when a Greek tells me I am dead, he shows only that he is foolish indeed, for I, whom he thinks a fool, turn out to be wiser than those reputed wise. So too, in calling me weak, he but shows that he is weaker still. For the good deeds which tax-collectors and fishermen were able to accomplish by God’s grace, the philosophers, the rulers, the countless multitudes cannot even imagine.
Paul had this in mind when he said: The weakness of God is stronger than men. That the preaching of these men was indeed divine is brought home to us in the same way. For how otherwise could twelve uneducated men, who lived on lakes and rivers and wastelands, get the idea for such an immense enterprise? How could men who perhaps had never been in a city or a public square think of setting out to do battle with the whole world? That they were fearful, timid men, the evangelist makes clear; he did not reject the fact or try to hide their weaknesses. Indeed he turned these into a proof of the truth. What did he say of them? That when Christ was arrested, the others fled, despite all the miracles they had seen, while he who was leader of the others denied him!
How then account for the fact that these men, who in Christ’s lifetime did not stand up to the attacks by the Jews, set forth to do battle with the whole world once Christ was dead – if, as you claim, Christ did not rise and speak to them and rouse their courage? Did they perhaps say to themselves: “What is this? He could not save himself but he will protect us? He did not help himself when he was alive, but now that he is dead he will extend a helping hand to us? In his lifetime he brought no nation under his banner, but by uttering his name we will win over the whole world?” Would it not be wholly irrational even to think such thoughts, much less to act upon them?
It is evident, then, that if they had not seen him risen and had proof of his power, they would not have risked so much.

May the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you today and always as you live out your faith.

All the glory goes to God!

2010-07-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

At Mass this morning, the first reading was from the prophet Isaiah. He spoke one of my favorite verses: "O LORD, you mete out peace to us, for it is You who have accomplished all we have done." Amen!

We don't accomplish anything. God accomplishes it through us!

This leads me to ponder...
How do we in our culture respond when we accomplish something good?
Do we pat ourselves on the back, or do we give praise, honor and glory to our loving God?
Next time someone gives you a compliment on something, listen to your response.
Is it a simple "thanks" or a "thanks be to God" ?

Many times when I meet people living on the streets or in the shelters and ask, "how are you doing?" They respond, "very well, thanks be to God."
If someone living without family or possessions can give thanks to God, then why can't we publicly give glory to Him for His gifts within us?

Are we too uncomfortable giving glory to the Him whom without we could not breath a single breath?
Do we pretend it's because we don't want others to feel uncomfortable?
Most likely it's because we want to keep things all nice and agreeable. We would rather deny that our Lord alone is responsible for any accomplishment than risk persecution.

Let us ask Jesus to help us remember His and our Blessed Mother Mary who didn't take any of the credit for her accomplishment when asked by Elizabeth "how it is that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me?" but instead gave glory to God replying, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

Yes, many of our homeless brothers and sisters do share stories of their daily hardships, but they are still able to thank God because they know it is only through Him that they are able to wake up and make it through another day. Their faith continually astounds me.

Still, there are countless others who don't acknowledge God exists or Jesus as their Savior, but God is still with them. He created them in His image! I recently talked with a man like this. He shared that he is not a believer.
Praise be to God that He allowed me to have a conversation with this man. It was a true gift.

I met "Tom" months ago during our Saturday lunch in the park. He and his friend, "Bob" always show up together. They both had "respectable" lives before living on the street. Bob was an accountant. Tom, a businessman. Divorce and other circumstances led them away from the Lord to life without a home.

Now, we have talked many times about one thing or another, but this one Saturday I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to go deeper with them. Trust me, I am not courageous enough without the grace of God to delve into many of the conversations on the streets. I have been tempted now and in the past to sit for hours in contemplation with the Lord, thinking this is the better way to get closer to Him only to be shown that playing board games with with my kids, folding laundry, taking a walk with my husband or preparing dinner for the family is the most beautiful prayer when done in love. That's why I love that quote at the bottom of this blog. Yes, Christ is truly present - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Eucharist. He is also present in every one we meet. We have only to ask our Lord for eyes to see and ears to hear Him.

Spending time in the presence of Christ on the streets began with prayer and continues to be rooted in prayer. It is a prayer that begins with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - in Holy Mass and in Adoration. He helps me to let go, lay down my agenda and give everything over to His Will. It is only through Him, with Him and in Him that I am aware of the privilege of spending time with His poor.
Each person involved with serving lunch on Saturdays is a living prayer. There are many from different churches and walks of life that reflect the light of Christ and see the dignity of each and every person we meet. I believe this is why people come back to the park to eat on Saturdays even though they have other places where they could be getting food.

Back to my story about Bob and Tom...
As we were chatting, I asked if either of them had problems with drugs or alcohol.
Tom opened up and said he struggles with drugs. I had shared with him earlier that I, too, was deep into drugs for years after high school and know it was only through God's grace I am still alive and standing today. That's when Tom said, "to be honest, I am not a believer."

A lengthy conversation ensued. How utterly amazing it was that Tom would be honest with me! During our talk, I prayed to be open and loving as we spoke about life, God, faith, doubts, etc...
God is with Tom whether he acknowledges Him or not.
At one point, I looked him in the eye and said, "do you know how much Jesus loves you? He loves you so much, no matter what you've done." I can't really describe Tom's face or body language when he heard that, but something happened within him. The Holy Name of Jesus has power.

I challenged him to take time to pray to God in the coming week.
There was a little humor involved as I encourage him to pray, "God, you know I don't believe in you, but if you are there, show me."

Only God knows His plan for allowing us to talk that day. I am thankful He is helping me to have more compassion and see His presence in everyone. God knows how uncomfortable it is for me many times to talk with and accept those of other faiths or those who don't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Praise and honor and glory to our Almighty Father Who is so merciful and patient! He works with my close-mindedness. He softens my stony heart.

So if Tom shows up next Saturday high on crack will I still love and accept him? Will I still trust that God is near Tom even though he is apparently turning his back on him? Of course! Why?? Because this is our faith! Our loving Father tells us to love the sinner and hate the sin. He does that with us EVERY DAY - loves us despite our sinfulness. And He "demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
If that's not good news, I don't know what is!

By God's grace, we can give Jesus glory, honor and praise for ALL that He accomplishes through us. Try it next time someone gives you a compliment for a job well done.

May the Lord be with you today and always.

Understanding the poor

2010-05-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

There is much wisdom in those that have gone before us.
Who are the poorest of the poor? Following are words from Mother Theresa - one who became poor, like Christ, and lived most of her life serving Him in the poorest of the poor.

Today, the poor are hungry for bread and rice, and also for love and the living word of God. The poor are thirsty for water but also for peace, truth, and justice. The poor are homeless, in need of a shelter made of bricks, and also for a joyful heart that understands, covers, and loves. The poor are naked, in need of clothes and also for human dignity and compassion for the naked sinner. They are sick in need of medical care and also for that gentle touch and a warm smile.

The "shut-in," the unwanted, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying destitute, the abandoned and the lonely, the outcast and the untouchables, the leprosy sufferers, all those who are a burden to human society, who have lost all hope and faith in life, who have forgotten how to smile, who have lost the sensibility of the warm hand touch of love and friendship, they look to us for comfort. If we turn our back on them, we turn it on Christ, and at the hour of our death we shall be judged if we have recognized Christ in them, and on what we have done for and to them, there will only be two ways, "come" or "go."

Last winter we met a scruffy-looking man in the park one Saturday. He was standing off to by the sidewalk alone. I noticed him, said hello and asked if he would like a sandwich. He replied, "I've been watching you here for a few weeks now. Why are you taking your time to stand out in the cold to hand out food to people you don't even know?? I looked into his eyes - so full of searching and brokenness - and said, "The truth is that the Holy Spirit led me down here. I'm not one to like freezing cold temperatures, but this doesn't bother me. I'm here to offer my brothers and sisters a hand." This man (I'll call him Frank) was living in his van. He shared how hopeless he felt, how if the next ten years of his life were going to be like the last ten then what's the use in living? We listened, not really knowing what to say, but offering encouragement as best we could. After awhile, he left and we didn't see him again for a few months.

Recently, I began seeing him around more and more. He had been in and out of jail, lost his van, lost his way.
A little over a month ago, he shared with a friend that he "just didn't know if he could go on."
Well, our awesome God is amazing in how He takes care of our needs when we step out in faith, like 'Frank' did by sharing his feelings with my friend. God is always setting up divine appointments through his followers...

One of His followers (Dave) decided he was going to get involved with an early morning Bible study on S. Division. Through this Bible study, our Lord put 'Frank' in touch with a godly man and a wonderful ministry called Next Step. From there 'Frank was able to get out of the homeless shelter. Dave then hired him to work at his construction company. Now he also has a more permanent place to live.
A couple weeks ago when I saw him again at the park, I didn't yet know all this news about the Bible study, job and living arrangements. What I did know was that there was "something different" about 'Frank.' He seemed more upbeat.

Here comes the best part - Last Saturday he came up to my van to help me unload the food and tables. He had a big smile on his face and shared that he was getting baptized the next day!

"Praise God," I shouted. "You're getting baptized on Pentecost. How awesome!"

The "something different" about 'Frank' was his new life in Christ. No human comfort or worldly good can provide this. He was lost but had been found.

'Frank' was one of those who Mother Theresa talked about - one "who was a burden to human society, who had lost all hope and faith in life, who had forgotten how to smile, who had lost the sensibility of the warm hand touch of love and friendship." He looked to us for comfort.

I pray that all of us as God's children can have our eyes and ears open to see and hear Christ in the distressing disguise of the poor. He is reaching out His hand to us each and every day. Will we grab hold and ask for the faith to follow him?

In Jesus and Mary,
Amy

Human dignity in Christ

2010-05-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sharing in the dignity of each human person as a creation of God is the paramount mission of ‘Jesus on the streets.’

In prayer before serving, we acknowledge that we are getting ready to serve Jesus, so we greet Him in each person with a loving smile, eye contact and a warm hello. So many of the people we meet stand in one line after another for this need or that.
They can get eat at different shelters, churches, etc… around GR. Many times they are handed food without much contact or relationship.

From day one, we went out, striving to live the beatitudes in our serving.
We focus on a personal relationship with individuals – whether it be for 5 seconds, 5 minutes, or 5 months.
Through relationship, we can open the door further to share the love relationship of the God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit and help them find resources for jobs, housing, etc…

We begin this relationship can begin with a simple smile.

Mother Theresa always said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” We know this is so true.

Someone once shard with me about the love they always feel when my son smiles at them. They mentioned how they are brought out of their pain for a brief time through the love and acceptance in his smile. In saying, "I love you" through our smile and greetings, God's grace allows us to lift each other "out of miry clay", if only for a short time.

Showing extraordinary love through ordinary acts is our daily call.

God help me to walk the walk and talk the talk, so as to be a witness of Your love.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of homelessness, poverty, etc…Many times I have thought, what’s the use? Then I fall on my knees. Show me, Lord. Pour out Your wisdom.

We can never go wrong sharing the love of Christ with our neighbor.
In the silence of prayer, I continually hear the Lord say in my heart – Keep going. Focus on ONE person at a time. Through this, I will take your seeds of love and makes them grow.

God continues to change lives through this ministry.

By His grace, we plant and till, plant and till the soil. Christ is the gardener who brings growth. In His mercy, He sometimes allows us to see the fruit of our “work.” Yet, that is not our goal. Our goal is to be faithful in living the Gospel.

Christ is knocking at the door of our heart today. He is disguised as a family member, a neighbor, the homeless, the hungry, the imprisoned.

Will we open the door and let Him in?

May God bless you today and always as you seek Him.

Love

2010-02-20T07:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted in awhile, but there are many stories to tell.
I've been holding them in my heart and pondering upon them in regards to the great love of our Lord.

He continues to share how valuable each one of His creation is.
He loves us beyond our imagination, and that is what we try to share each week in the park and in our communities.
God is not some ancient man looking "from a distance", as the old Bette Midler song sings, and pointing a finger. He is all around us as pure love if we but ask Him to open our eyes and hearts to His Presence.
We are priviledged as Catholics to have Him present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist if we but seek Him out and ask for the faith to believe.
He doesn't need our love, but His gift to us is our desire to love Him.
He gives us this gift to share with others. I am so thankful for the grace to look through His eyes and see such value and dignity in brothers and sisters that some deem as having no value.
Try this today: Ask Jesus to help you see value in someone whom you don't right now in your life.

from the Magnificat:
During Lent, we seek to grow in faithfulness to our covenant with God. The law of the covenant given in Christ is summed up inthe two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. The test of our love for God is the quality of our love for other people. The measure of our lenten observance will be our growth in love. Jesus Christ our Savior is our model: we see in Him these words of Saint Paul lived to the full.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
If I have all faith so as to move mountains
but do not have love,
I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over
so that I may boast
byt do not have love,
I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous,

(Love) is not inflated, it is not rude.

(Love) does not seek its own interest, it is not quick-tempered.

(Love) does not brood over injury.

(Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God is revealed to us: God sent His only son into the wordl so that we might have life throug Him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is brought to perfection is us." 1 John 4:7-12

Have a blessed day!

One drop of Love...

2010-01-21T05:19:00.001-08:00

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow." -2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Our Loving Father is so amazing in the way He allows us, in all our sinfulness and longing, to serve Him by serving and comforting each other.

God has put upon my heart the desire to meet Him and bring about unity in another area.
I am praying about/working on an off-shoot to the Saturday lunch in the park – lunch/dinner in the community center 1-2 times a month (or more!) of a large subsidized housing complex near downtown.

There is such a need for community in many of these places. People are behind their closed doors and fear meeting neighbors due to many issues. One woman, leery about interacting with others there, shared with me how terrifying it is for her at times hearing a neighbor yelling abusive language toward his children. She comes to the park regularly when her food money runs out, but standing outside in the cold is tough because of circulation issues.
Other residents in the apartment building suffer from depression and/or loneliness. Amid their trials they feel no one understands or that they are the "only one going through this situation."

Our Lord God said, "it is not good for man to be alone." It would be great to bring residents together and offer help/hope in sharing a meal. We are more alike that we care to imagine.
Possibly, we could offer periodic support from local medical personnel (Dental – bringing toothbrushes, toothpaste, other helpful information. Nurses – blood pressure checks, foot care, etc… for those in need)

We have served lunches many times at another low-income apartment complex on S. Division, and have witnessed Christ's love/peace bringing people together. Christ is here is the faces of those He has left upon earth. Are we meeting Him or turning away?

Mother Theresa once said, "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." Each act of kindness for our Lord is another drop in the waters of His Kingdom. Are we hoarding our drops or sharing them freely?

Please continue to pray for God's will in this mission and in the missions of your life. If you hear Him calling you to help us, pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance and shoot me an e-mail or call.

Have a blessed day!

Cold days, warm hearts

2009-12-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Please pray for our neighbors who are staying in the homeless shelters or outside with the upcoming winter storm.

We know of many choosing to stay outside due to missions being filled or fear of families being separated. We have provided many with warm clothes, boots, blankets, food, etc... and trust in our loving Father for their care in the days and weeks ahead.

If they are staying at a mission, then they have to be out in the morning. Without employment, there are many hours to fill each day walking here and there.

Sickness comes without insurance, family or friends, or a comfortable, quiet chair in which to rest.

Addiction, depression and loneliness lurk in the depths of many hearts - sometimes even more around the holidays.

Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." (Matthew 25:40)

There are not quick fix solutions for the individuals and families that are homeless right now.
We are called to witness and walk alongside our neighbors and encourage them on their journey- just as Jesus did. Most times we can not "fix" their situation. Most times we aren't asked to.

Not being able to fix things is very difficult for me and others, but we pray for discernment, listen and trust in the Holy Spirit for His guidance. When I become anxious or frustrated, I fall on my knees.
In my weakness, God continues to tell me - "not in your time, but in mine."
His timing is always perfect. He doesn't depend on us understanding it, just being faithful to living out the Gospel each day.

What we all CAN do is continue to let the love and light of Christ shine through us and be there to listen to them as they move through their trials.
God has allowed us to do this while serving lunch each Saturday. We just show up, and God moves the mountains.

On behalf of our neighbors in need around the Grand Rapids area:
Thank you to so many of you for your prayers and contributions to God's mission through us. Many have been encouraged and stepped beyond homelessness/joblessness.

Lastly, I hope you will make this season a time to give back to those less fortunate where ever you live. There are so many people out there who could use a helping hand! And as you know, it's not all about the big things since who doesn't have myriad obligations and time constraints during this time of year? Remember that Jesus "humbled Himself" to be with us, conversed with believers and doubters alike and reminded us how much God loves us.

So, let's not forget the little things - the common courtesies during the hustle and bustle, acknowledging (instead of ignoring) the homeless guy down the block, lending an ear to the lonely senior next door - which give us opportunities for grace and to show love of neighbour during the Christmas season.
If you are able to volunteer at the local shelter, soup kitchen or parish event or donate to these places, to a food bank or a toy bank, what are you waiting for?

We have sponsored some elderly people in need with monthly bus passes and our currently looking for someone to provide in this area.
If you are interested in providing a bus pass, food card, Bible, etc... for a neighbor in need, please contact me at 915-2414 or e-mail me.

Please pray for all of us as we continue to pray for the needs and intentions of many.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always.

Instruments of peace

2009-11-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

My the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you on this gorgeous fall afternoon.

Last Saturday was a beautiful day of fellowship and food downtown with new and old friends.
We served lunch with a large group of spirit-filled of brothers and sisters from Bridgeway Community Church in Rockford. There's nothing better than stepping out in love together and meeting Jesus in the process :-)

One of the regular brothers that shows up each Saturday - Duke - shared good news that he was going to be moving into an apartment this week after much persistence and patience. Praise God!! Please pray for him in his new environment and for his family who is he trying to help.

Last month, we had another brother we met last January who call us to say hello. He shared that his job is going very well. He has been employed as a cook at the same restaurant for six months now, which has allowed him to move out of the mission and into an apartment with a few roommates.

He told us that he wants to find a better apartment because two of his roommates are doing drugs, and he can't be around this situation. Please pray for 'A' on his journey that He acknowledges God in his life and trusts in Him to direct his steps.

It’s been a year since we began serving lunch to our brothers and sisters in need in downtown Grand Rapids. We praise God for His abundant blessings bestowed upon many through the generosity of fellow parishioners and others friends from area churches, towns, etc… I still stand in awe and wonder who is receiving and who is giving.

Every Saturday from 11:00 -12:00, friends gather in Veteran’s Park for lunch and fellowship. While there are many places to eat for those in need downtown, the park is a relaxed atmosphere that God has given us to use food as a platform. We, then, can extend the hand of Christ and offer hope and acceptance. The hands that clasp come from generous, longing and loving brothers and sisters.

In giving, we have received renewed eyes, ears and hearts of compassion to see how close we all are as children of God. We are all sinners in need of our Savior. Having a home in which to sin doesn't make us any better than one on the street who sins publicly.

Our Lord has shown us many miracles throughout the months of Saturdays. This can only mean there are an infinite number of miracles we have never seen, but trust have occurred.
Jesus is present in each and every individual we meet – whether they are homeless, jobless, elderly and alone, passers-by who wonder what we’re doing, etc…
Our Father has introduced us to more of His children. As members of the body of Christ, we all need each other and have a part in His plan.

“Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, "Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, "Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you," nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you."

Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.

If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.” (1 Cor. 12:15-27)

If you are interested in helping serve, make food or make a donation, please call me at 915-2414 or e-mail me.

Everyone is welcome.

God makes divine appointments each Saturday, and we just open our hearts to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We serve anywhere from 70-100+ people each Saturday, but numbers are not the important thing. Each smile, each handshake, each personal connection is an annunciation from God.

Mother Theresa once said that, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

Many in our society want to lump different people into different "categories," - homeless, addicts, pro-choice, pro-life, homosexual, political, etc...but God did not create categories.
He created life - INDIVIDUAL and UNIQUE - and saw that it was good. Each person is made in the image of God. Many may turn away from Him, but He never turns away from us.

All of God's creation is valuable. All have a purpose. Blurring that reality is a tactic of the devil, and we must put on the armor of God and pray to stear clear of the devil's tactics.

In this mission, we entrust all to our Lord. We have consecrated the park to Jesus and pray for His will to be done.

Please continue to pray for all our brothers and sisters whose dignity is compromised because of homelessness, joblessness, loneliness or fear.
Ask the Holy Spirit if He is calling you to be a part of this mission or another one in your own community.

Donations can be made to ‘Instruments of Peace’, which is our non-profit organization.
E-mail me at oatleyj316@charter.net for more information.

Thank you, and thanks be to God for His infinite mercy.

Are we willing to be martyrs?

2009-10-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

MARTYR- the original word comes from Greek martus, martur, meaning witness.

Are we living as martyrs each day?
No matter what our state in life, each one of us is called to drop but a pebble of faith into the waters of God's creation.

One small act of kindness in Jesus' Name through the power of the Holy Spirit creates a ripple effect of which only God knows the depths.

Father, I thank you for this day and for the opportunities You give me to practice my faith. I ask that You help me WITNESS to at least one person today to REVEAL my faith. I ask that You help me BLESS at least one person today to keep me AWARE of my faith, and I ask that You help me to be GENEROUS to at least one person today so I can PRACTICE my faith. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!

ALL or nothing

2009-10-21T08:54:00.001-07:00

Why do we keep going downtown week after week, month after month?

When the Holy Spirit compells us to serve HIM, we obey!
Now, if I could just do this ALL the time! I guess that means I need to continue "practicing" my faith daily until it's perfect, and it won't be perfect until I am with Jesus in heaven.

What is our number one call in this life according to Jesus?

"To love God with ALL our heart, with ALL our soul, with ALL our mind

AND

to love our neighbor as ourself." Matthew 22:37

Easy, straightforward command, right? So, then why do we make it so hard??

The ALL and the AND in Jesus' words are MONUMENTAL. I am continually awed by the power of God's Holy Spirit in scripture! One small word by His Holy Spirit can change, has changed and continues to change my life, as I'm sure it does yours.

The other day my children and I were talking about praying as they read the Bible - that the words are living and how important it is to ask the Holy Spirit what He wants them to hear from His word. We can read an entire chapter in the Gospel or other book from which God will show us just a phrase. In reply, my son yelled out, "or just one word!" Praise God for His Spirit through our children!

Later that day I was meditating on the above scripture and God did speak just one word to me-
One powerful word - ALL.

3 little letters with such a HUGE message I am compelled to share.

He doesn't want just part of us, or to just give us a partial blessing. He wants to bless us in ALL our ways. He then poured out to me numerous other scriptures where He tells us this very message.

"I will bless the Lord at ALL times, His praise shall ever be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

"More than that, I count ALL things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of ALL things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ..."Phil 3:8

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart... in ALL your ways acknowledge Him." Proverbs 3:5-

"ALL things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28

Do we want His ALL? Do we want to live His command in order to receive it?
Obviously, we can't do anything to earn His love. He loves us the same today, tomorrow and always, BUT we are commanded to act out our faith in love.

As Christ said to his disciples, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

The world tells us we can have it all, but the world isn't talking about the same all as God's ALL. God's ALL will bless us more and cost us much more.

How much? ALL our heart, ALL our soul and ALL our mind - for God AND our neighbor.

This includes our enemies, those who curse us, those who think differently, act differently, dress differently, smell differently, vote differently, and worship differently.

It's impossible for us but truly possible for God through us if we call upon His Holy Spirit to guide the way.

Are we ready? Call on the Holy Spirit who is ALLways there to enlighten us.

Oh, Heavenly Father, I thank you for the Gift of Jesus. I thank you for the Gift of Your Holy Spirit. Oh, Holy Spirit, I give you permission this very moment to operate in my life. I give you permission to move me and change me according to Your Will. I surrender my will to Your Will. Your Will be done!
I ask you, Holy Spirit, to empower me to do Your Will. Holy Spirit, You are the Lord and Giver of Life. You are my Enabler! My Guardian! My Advocate! My Teacher! My Counselor! And my Sanctifier!
I ask that you inspire me through all of your precious gifts: The Gift of Wisdom, the Gift of Understanding, the Gift of Counsel, the Gift of Fortitude, the Gift of Knowledge, the Gift of Piety and the Gift of the Fear of the Lord.
I ask that you would reveal Your truth to me, that You would annoint me to proclaim Jesus through my words and by my actions, that You would direct me, teach me, enlighten me, reside in me, fellowship with me and renew me as well as convict me of my sin.
I ask this that I might bear fruit of Your Presence in my life: the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faith, gentleness, and self-control.
I thank you Father for Gift of Gifts...Your Holy Spirit.
I give you all the praise, all the honor, all the glory for this most precious gift.
I ask all of this and thank you for it in the most wonderful name of Your Son, Jesus!

AMEN!

Mission prayers

2009-10-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

Each week I receive this prayer chain from DeGage Ministries, one of the homeless shelters in downtown Grand Rapids and will now post here.
If you are so inclined, please pray for the intentions and how/if God wants you to help.
There are so many opportunities to serve our Lord Jesus - all require action, be it praying, providing materials or services or funds.

Above all - PRAY

DEGAGE PRAYER LETTER
October 19-23, 2009

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:24

• Please pray for Charles. He is an older patron who has diabetes and has been homeless for a year. With the cold winter months approaching, he needs safe housing. Pray that he will set priorities and goals and accept the help that is being offered to him.

• Please pray for Ricky who is working on recovering from addiction but is finding it hard in his current environment. Pray that God will give him strength, perseverance, and people to encourage him.

• Please pray for Elly, the daughter of a volunteer. She is 25 years old and battling an aggressive form of breast cancer.

• Next week we celebrate the 9th anniversary of the Life Enrichment Center! We praise God for the way He has provided and grown the program. May we continue to be open to His calling and may the program impact many more lives!

• Next week we also celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Open Door Women’s Drop-In Center. We are thankful we have been able to welcome over 1,060 women since opening! May God bless the program, staff and women that utilize the Open Door.

• We praise God Zach was able to get a new scooter to help him get around!

• We give thanks with and for Wayne that he has an ongoing job and we pray it will prove to be permanent.

• Travis wants us to pray that he finds help to repair his car. He needs transportation getting to and from work and buying necessities including diapers for his child.

• Alfred is stranded here and staying at a shelter because his passport was stolen. We pray for speedy processing of traveling papers so he can return home to Kenya.

prayers

2009-10-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Praise God for His presence in us all. We humbly thank Him for His never-ending mercy, patience and Divine love. As He gives to us, we share with others.

Please pray for B who is struggling with alcohol addiction. He loves the Lord Jesus, but is finding it extremely difficult to stay sober. Pray that He truts in God and seeks treatment for full physical/spiritual healing.

Pray for V who recently moved and has many long-term emotional problems that the peace of Christ will come upon her and that she will accept Christ as her Savior and not just another good person.

Pray for M who continues to seek employment and housing. After having his backpack stolen again, he is waiting for new ID that will allow him to get further assistance.

Many get their backpacks stolen, which contain all their personal belongings.
Pray for protection for them - that God's holy angels would surround them and keep them free from evil.

Pray that the full truth of our Lord Jesus Christ continues to be spoken in love through pastors that visit the missions. So many are longing for hope in the Lord. Sometimes our neighbors in the missions get conflicting accounts of who Jesus really is. Is He angry at me? Is He real?, etc...

Pray for all those who are hungry that they will get their "daily bread" and for those who have their daily bread that they will hunger for Christ.

Give praise to our Lord for all the hearts and hands of those who serve with their time, talents and treasures for all those we meet on the streets and beyond.
Our God is an awesome God!!

Live as though you were old—live with the focus on what is real

2009-09-26T16:02:00.001-07:00

Following are some words from a wise pastor at the funeral of my husband's cousin, Chad, this past week. He died tragically at the age of 29.

Death usually brings about thoughts of our own mortality. Would we be ready if today was our day?

When we wake in the morning, is there praise upon our lips or groaning?

Do we come, in humility, before those we have hurt to ask for forgiveness and also forgive others?

Are we there to help others when we see them fall?

What lense do we look through - a wordly lense or a Christ-lense? The one we choose makes all the difference in how we live.

What is our goal in life? Are we waking up each day trying to succeed for this world or trying to be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ and reach our eternal success with Him in heaven?

Who is our Lord? Who is the love of our life? There is only one love that will lead us to heaven.

May God bless you through Pastor Dave's words.

This morning I must ask you to do something odd. And before I do so, please let me lay a foundation for this request.

We live in a youth oriented culture. If that amazes you then I invite you to watch TV for a little while and ask yourself, “Why don’t I see people in walkers advertising the new F150 pickup trucks?” Advertisement – wrinkles, weight loss, cars, even old age is meant to be young (“ever have a ‘going’ problem?”; osteoporosis, dentures). The message is always – youth is the best time of life – hang onto it a long as you can – deny aging or growing old.

Here’s where I want you to commit yourself to doing something odd – totally counter-culture. I invite you to grow old. I would like nothing better than to see each of you grow old before your time. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is my sincere, devout prayer that I would see you age before my very eyes this morning.

J. Robertson McQuilkin, (former) president of Columbia Bible College, was once approached by an elderly lady facing the trials of growing old. “Robertson, why does God let us get old and weak? Why must I hurt so?” she asked him. After a few moments’ thought he replied, “I think God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the strength and beauty of age is spiritual. We gradually lose the strength and beauty that is temporary so we’ll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty which is forever. And so we’ll be eager to leave the temporary, deteriorating part of us and be truly homesick for our eternal home. If we stayed young and strong and beautiful, we might never want to leave!”

Listen to how God says it in the Bible. (2 Cor 4:16-5:1-5) "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

(1 John 2:17) "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."
When we are in our youth and in our strength we center our lives on so many different idols. "Sin isn't only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry."

Think about how having the wrong goals will cause brokenness and damage:

If you center your life and identity on your spouse or partner, you will be emotionally dependent, jealous, and controlling. The other person's problems will be overwhelming to you.

If you center your life and identity on your family and children, you will try to live your life through your children until they resent you or have no self of their own. At worst, you may abuse them when they displease you.

If you center your life and identity on your work and career, you will be a driven workaholic and a boring, shallow person. At worst you will lose family and friends and, if your career goes poorly, develop deep depression.

If you center your life and identity on money and possessions, you'll be eaten up by worry or jealousy about money. You'll be willing to do unethical things to maintain your lifestyle, which will eventually blow up your life.

If you center your life and identity on pleasure, gratification, and comfort, you will find yourself getting addicted to something. You will become chained to the "escape strategies" by which you avoid the hardness of life.

If you center your life and identity on relationships and approval, you will be constantly overly hurt by criticism and thus always losing friends. You will fear confronting others and therefore will be a useless friend.

If you center your life and identity on a "noble cause," you will divide the world into "good" and "bad" and demonize your opponents. Ironically, you will be controlled by your enemies. Without them, you have no purpose.

If you center your life and identity on religion and morality, you will, if you are living up to your moral standards, be proud, self-righteous, and cruel. If you don't live up to your moral standards, your guilt will be utterly devastating.

This morning I’m asking you to make a decision to give up the idol of your youth and grow old. That you would set your mind on what is real.
“Oh, Pastor Dave, I’ve still got time for that!” (Oh, I’m sorry – I forgot why we were here).

You will bring to your death exactly what you have brought to your life. If you have focused upon the “strength of the physical” and pretty much marginalized God – you will not know how to meet him in your death. And that is a fearful thought.

What does it mean to focus on the spiritual? Let me tell you that I’ve been through this kind of experience before. Let me explain the psychology of what is going to happen. Some of you will be scared because the armor of your youth and strength has now had a severe chink put in it. So you now want to “get right with God.” And in your emotion and your fear you’ll try to do that – but you’ll try to do it on your own terms. “God, I’ll ‘get right’ with you (whatever that means) – just let me go to heaven – and if you don’t mind, don’t let me have to worry about it for a long time.”

And then when the fear of death begins to subside – because it always does – you slide back into the same lifestyle, the same values, the same idols.
It’s because you didn’t come to God on his terms. Total surrender – new ownership – rebuilding your life according to his blueprint. Jesus said, “FOLLOW ME.”

Please understand – this morning I’m not encouraging you to “come to Jesus” or “clean up your act.” I want you to do something much more fundamental and radical than that. I don’t want you to merely “come to Jesus”, but “to go deep with Jesus”, to let Jesus take over your life to the extent that you are so consumed with him that Jesus just flows out of your ears and fingertips, your words and your thoughts are full of him.

So what’s it going to be? Invitation – how to ask Jesus to be your Forgiver and Leader – forever.

In January 2000, leaders of Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, "We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you." So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, "I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of each passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his other pocket. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat by him. He couldn't find it. The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.' Einstein nodded appreciatively.

"The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry. I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.' Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.'"

Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where I'm going."

“And so we’ll be eager to leave the temporary, deteriorating part of us and be truly homesick for our eternal home. If we stayed young and strong and beautiful, we might never want to leave!”

Robert Browning penned these words: “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, 'A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!'”

Faith in action

2009-09-14T04:12:00.001-07:00

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.
Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called "the friend of God." James 2:14-24

True, Christ redeemed us once and for all on the cross. We can't do ANYTHING to earn His love or make Him love us less. His gift of faith to us has us believe in this.
So what else does our faith compel us to do once we believe and seek that personal relationship with Christ?

According to the St. James in the scripture above, we would be useless without acting out our faith. Our faith and love of Christ drives us to show mercy, kindness and compassion to others. If we didn't, what kind of witness would we be for Christ?

Who would be curious to know Christ if we didn't reflect His goodness and put to death our fleshly desires to serve only ourselves?

Catholics are many times misunderstood by non-Catholics (and many uninformed Catholics!) in that they believe we think our works will get us into heaven. If we light this candle or say ten rosaries then we'll earn a better place in eternity. Nothing could be further from the truth!!

Of course, meditating on the Gospels (which is what the rosary is all about- completely scriptural) can bring us into closer union with Jesus. But if all we do is pray the rosary every time we hear about a neighbor in need or children starving in a third world country, then we're not living out our faith very well. If we are physically incapacitated and unable to act out our faith, there is the beauty of redemptive suffering, aka "offering it up."

Here's an excerpt from Mike Yankoski's book, MY 30 DAYS UNDER THE OVERPASS - a terrific and thought-provoking book.

Flip on tonight's news or go to a news blog and you'll learn all about the wretched things that are going on in our world-famines, epidemics, earthquakes, hurricanes, rapes, beatings, political chaos, slavery, human trafficking, just to name a few. When you look at all of it, it's enough to make you feel really, really small, like there's no way you can make an impact.

Well, I want to let you in on a little secret: The world is not yours to change. None of us is big enough, influential enough, or powerful enough to end any one of the world's major issues. The only person powerful enough to eradicate poverty or cure all disease or stop earthquakes is Jesus. But He didn't do any of that. Jesus, in His wisdom, knew He couldn't just come down here and fix everything for us; He knew we wouldn't learn anything that way. Instead, He showed us how to live by spending thirty years on earth, setting the ultimate example for us to follow. He didn't end poverty. Instead, He reminded us that "you always have the poor with you" (see Mark 14:7).

But that doesn't mean Jesus did nothing to help the poor, nothing to reach out to those whom everyone else shunned. Instead, He lived with them, listened to them, ate with them (sometimes He brought the food), partied with them, healed them, wept and laughed with them ...

Same with us. Yes, the world is messed up. There are a lot of hurting people and a lot of important issues. You can't end poverty, stop earthquakes, or feed every person on the planet. But that's no excuse to do nothing. If you're a Christian, loving other people is not a "calling" you can patiently discover or wait for God to reveal to you. It's a direct, nonnegotiable command.

Some of us are called to go and be in the places where the biggest problems are. Some of us need to be there, working, helping, serving, not only on two-week trips in the summer but for years at a time, even lifetimes at a time. But some of us aren't supposed to do that now. It's not the right season. We're in school or providing for our family or training to go somewhere in the future.

But don't buy into the lie that "ministry" only happens overseas or during summer trips or on Tuesday evenings at small group or Sunday mornings at church. Ministry is about people in need, and those people are all around.

How can God use you to impact, change, affect, influence, love on, and meet the needs of the people all around you? What's holding you back? How can you break out of the fear and questions that keep you from "loving your neighbor as yourself"? (see Matthew 22:37-40).

First, pray for the Holy Spirit to stir up the gifts implanted in you from the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. It won't be long before you are called to action.

Our Christian faith is founded on works of mercy from the King Himself. He performed many "works" throughout His time on earth as an example for us to follow - the most significant was His Passion and death on the Cross.

Our brothers and sisters in need depend on us to help them. To whom much is given much is expected (and we do have much compared with the third world countries!!). Sometimes, we who have much are worse off spiritually because we are comfortable.

Have you seen the faith of those in impoverished nations such as Africa, Peru and Haiti? Christianity is growing and thriving among many even though they lack much materially.

The Lord is calling us to step outside our comfort zone this week and every week, as He called the first apostles and many thereafter.

Pray and discern His voice within for guidance. How do we discern if the desire we have to serve or begin ministry is from God?

In her book FULL OF GRACE, Johnnette Benkovic lays out some guidelines of discernment: "Generally speaking, if the prompting conforms with the ordinary acts of charity for people in our state of life who are attempting to live a life of holiness, and if there is nothing immoral or questionable about the action, we should carry it out with gratitude that God has asked us to serve Him in this way. If, however, the prompting is out of the ordinary and is potentially life-changing in scope, we should put it to the test by evaluating it against several criteria."

First of all, is it fully in line with Sacred Scripture, the Ten Commandments, and the teachings of the Church? There is no contradiction in god - He will never go against His own precepts. If a particular action is in opposition to Sacred Scripture, it is not of God. If it goes against one of the Commandments, it is not of God. If it opposes a teaching of the Church, it is not of God. If it is an uncharitable act, it is not of God. If it opposes the natural law, it is not of God. If it violates legitimate civil authority, it is not of God.
Second, is the prompting proceeding from virtue or the flesh? Another way to ask this question is, "What is my motivation? Selfish gain, pride or charity and love of God?
Third, has this prompting been confirmed in other ways?
Has the prompting withstood the test of time?
Am I going through an emotionally difficult time, or am I suffering from mental instability?
Have I sought the counsel of others? Few people are in a position to make major decisions on their own; (On his journey, Mike Yankoski consulted friends, pastor and spiritual director before heading out on the streets to live)
Is the supposed prompting or inspiration of grace in conformity with my state in life? We must weigh the promptings we receive against our state in life. If we sense that God is asking us to participate in certain activities, go into a particular ministry, or become a member of a certain apostolate, it will not take away from the obligations of our life in other areas. There may be sacrifice, but there will not be conflict.

Not many words from me, but much wisdom from the Bible and a wise man and woman of God.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always.

Jesus in our midst

2009-08-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Jesus on the Streets Ministry is not just about serving the Lord by helping those in need, it is also a gift to be able to help people - a gift that comes with rewards. In helping people, we too are helped.

I have only served a few times but have met many wonderful people who are no different than you and I. They have a past that has led them to where they are. They have a future, but are not sure of it. The few that I have been able to talk one-on-one with have dreams of hope for the future.

One man who is 57 with a graduate degree wants to return to school and enter into law. Another man, who is now in jail knew he must serve his time for his offenses but wants to find full time employment and a better place to live when he is released from jail. There is a lady who is not sure how to better her situation but knows she wants to. She is trying to find a new place to live to escape from people that keep troubling her. She also knows she must rely on others to help her make this move.

All the people that we have served have one thing in common. They give thanks to God for that one meal. They truly realize that this gift of food is a blessing from God and it means they do not have to spend most of the day hungry.

It is amazing how many try to get a little extra food because they know that tomorrow they may be hungry again. They may save the food as a squirrel would, but they have the same souls as those of us seeking to know God.

Sometimes while serving, I daydream and wonder if any of the people are Jesus taking a human form to see how we respond to Him, but then He quickly reminds me He is always in our presence when we are serving Him - especially when we are serving those most in need!

-John Gilbert

Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to You. May our lips praise You; our lives proclaim Your goodness; our works give You honor, and our voices celebrate You forever.

Opportunities

2009-08-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Along the way in this ministry, God has amazed us and blessed many with gifts from countless people. As we continue this walk, opportunities for giving present themselves weekly.

If you are able or know someone who would like to make a donation to Instruments of Peace, please e-mail, call or mail a check to INSTRUMENTS OF PEACE (501c3). Your donation is tax-deductible.

Possible uses:
Sponsor a brother or sister with a monthly bus pass:
$40 for regular, $26 for senior.

We have been doing this on a regular basis for a few people we have come to know over the past 10 months, and they are very grateful. One gentleman is 74 and does walk a great deal (sometimes 7-8 miles a day!) but really uses his bus pass during the heat, rain and cold times.
He has an apartment, but his living expenses are very limited - as we are coming to see is the case with many seniors in this country.

Sponsor a Saturday lunch
Meijer, Costco or other grocery gift cards - each Saturday we provide food for 80-100 people. Each person gets a sandwich (turkey & cheese or pb&j), yogurt (or soup), a banana or orange and cookies, water or ice tea (hot chocolate in colder months).

Get together with friends for fellowship and cooking. Prepare bag lunches. We have had various people do this - a great gift of time and treasure.

Send a check to cover cost of a Saturday. $75-$125 is spent each week, depending on what is served.

The temperatures will be declining in the upcoming months and that means warms coats, hats and gloves will be needed. Warm socks and thermal underwear are appreciated also. Larger sizes needed for men and women. Sometimes people get these needed items from the missions, but the missions rely on the donations from people like you.

Please pray for guidance on whether God is calling you to get involved. We realize there are many opportunities out there for all to serve the Lord.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Anyway

2009-08-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Yes, more words from Mother Theresa who tackled insurmountable hurdles, by the grace of our loving God, on her journey of faith. I admire this woman very much, but not because of her own merits. She would be the first to admit she was nothing but "a pencil in the hand of God." She was weak and humble, which allowed Christ to open the door wide for His great love and unfathomable mercy to shine through her upon many who were lost in darkness.

As we walk with Jesus to meet Him in the poor of spirit, we also meet many unreasonable, selfish, self-centered and dishonest people. At times, we are those people! How do we respond?

Yet, this one thing we do: "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [we] press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

We forgive others and ourselves anyway even though they/we may not deserve it because our Lord forgives us every day though nothing we do can earn that forgiveness.

We act in kindness anyway because we are called to be "imitators of Christ" not each other's judge.

We succeed anyway because true success lies not in what we accomplish, but in our faithfulness - "faithfulness to take up our cross and follow Him."

We are honest and frank anyway because when we are honest with others in love, Christ is truly glorified. "be ready to preach the word; in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."

We are happy anyway because our happiness comes from Christ, not our circumstances. We try to share this with others to offer them hope.

We do good anyway even when others tell us our efforts won't make a difference on the large scale. We know that the Good Shepherd left His whole flock of sheep to look for just one who was lost, so we focus on one person, one soul at a time. We don't do good because the rules tell us to. We do good because "we are created in Christ Jesus for good works" and our loves compels us to charity.

We need unite with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in their unending prayer so that we can share and receive the Gospel at all times, and "when necessary use words."

Anyway, in the end "it will only be between us and our God, not us and them."

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always. Amen!

The Simple Path

2009-08-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

THE SIMPLE PATH
"The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE."

from Mother Theresa's writings

Prayer, faith, love, service, peace - this road map to Christ is our simple path in life. It's not simple meaning easy, but simple because with Christ there is freedom. Following Christ gives us a freedom that the world and all it's trappings can never give.

The freedom comes through our baptism into Christ's family where the supernatural virtues of faith, hope and love are bestowed upon us. We can not take credit for our increasing faith, hope or love, though we can pray to be more open to these virtues which help us to love God more and grow in holiness.

Through prayer, we grow in faith. This faith compels us to love Christ more and more, which then leads us to serve Him through acts of charity toward our neighbors. Through selfless acts of charity, the Lord helps us grow in humility. When we are more concerned with loving Christ and all that He stands for and loving our neighbor with this love, then falling to last place in line becomes easier.

Notice I did not say EASY, but easier. Being last, unpreferred, unnoticed or approved of is not easy by any means. But, with God's amazing grace, through faith, it does get easier the more we trust in God's divine providence.

Through this service or humility comes peace - the peace of Christ. This peace is that of knowing that whatever may come, He is in charge and has us in the palm of His hand through it all.

Trusting in the world's ideas, solutions, etc... really is the hard path if looked at through the lense of faith. The world's notions change with the passing seasons, but God never changes. He is always loving, always merciful. If we just persevere, He will lead us to the promised land. True, that promised land may be far different from what we asked for.

When faced with troubles, such as disease or death, that threaten to steal our peace, Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of His love for us, saying, "I have told you this so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33

By opening ourselves to the grace of God, there is freedom in trusting. Trusting in His Truth that He will "never leave us, even unto the end of the I will never forsake you or abandon you."
Thus we may say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper, (and) I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6

When the questions and the storms surround us, we must step back and listen to the soft whisper inside. Faith will lead us to take the simple path of a young child who trusts his parent. The child doesn't rationalize whether they understand the answer of the parent (this changes in the teen years!!). He doesn't sit up at night wondering how his father will pay the mortgage. The child has faith and believes and goes out to play.

That is why when the disciples approached Jesus, He asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "

Obviously, the kingdom of heaven is the goal we strive for as we walk the simple path.

Some examples:

A wife/mother of four gets pregnant and can't afford another child. She and her husband think the "simple path" would be to murder (abort) their unborn child, so as to continue on the path they think is right for them. This was the story last night outside the Eastern Avenue Abortion Clinic in Grand Rapids. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, here's what happened after the father talked to a sidewalk counselor...

"A couple went in very fast, telling me they already had 4 kids and couldn't afford another one. They were very determined to have an abortion that night. After half an hour they came out and he came right over to me and said "Tell me more about what you said about adoption." He was quite broken. She interrupted and said she already had given up a baby to adoption, "it's not easy seeing your baby and giving it away." He asked many questions and took the 'Pause' DVD, she was shaken but undecided. Pray for this young couple. From the way they were acting I believe they will not abort their baby. God uses our words, as inadequate as they are. As quickly as they ran in, they heard the words about adoption and it touched their hearts."

The simple path of Christ will lead this couple to a deeper peace than the "simple path" of abortion. The road may be rocky and full of thorns, but our Lord will lead them through, and His people in Grand Rapids will rise up to help as they have many times for many women in situations such as this.

While walking downtown, a nicely dress working man comes across an elderly man struggling to cross the street with his shopping cart. It is very clear that the man with the shopping cart is homeless. Well, he and his cart are blocking the way of the other man who is trying to get back to work after his lunch break. Crossing the street to avoid the homeless man would seem to be the "simple path" in the working man's eyes.

As he grumbles to himself, the soft voice within spurs him on to slow down and help the man instead. Through this small act of love, the working man experiences of peace beyond his understanding.

Now, the "simple path" he may have taken by crossing the street would have kept him in bondage of selfishness and fear. By taking the simple path of Christ, he was free and will, no doubt, take this freedom and peace back to those in his workplace and beyond. The ripple effect occurs either way.

Let us pray today and always that, through the grace of God, we can help lead others on the simple path of Christ and that we open our eyes to where God wants to lead us through others.

Also, pray for our hearts and minds to continually be open to receive His love through those in need. With God, we can move mountains that the world deems unmovable.

Remember, "God + 1 = an army" - St. Theresa of Avila

Pray for so many on the streets in the summer heat. Tempers flair, desperation increases... May God's holy angels surround and protect those on the streets around the world.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours. Amen.

Lord, You fail us not

2009-07-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Thank God for His presence in Christian music. How important it is to fill our hearts and ears with musical lyrics that are honorable to our Lord.

The following words from a song by 1000 Generations seeped into my heart as I was ironing this morning. I have failed Him many times this week in my words and actions, yet He is ever merciful.
Praise and honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! In my sinfulness, YOU are always there -consistent in Your love, calling me to be consistent in my love for my neighbor.

Failure doesn't faze you.
Worry doesn't win.
Lost doesn't leave YOU.
I'm free to start again.
Our sin doesn't shock YOU.
Our shame doesn't shame YOU at all.

There is nothing above YOU.
There is nothing beyond YOU.
There is nothing that YOU can't do.
Whatever may come, we'll rise above
YOU fail us not. YOU fail us not.

No matter the war.
Our hope is secure.
YOU fail us not. YOU fail us not.

Our Lord never fails us. Even when the circumstances around us seem to point towards failure, HE is there. We fail Him at times by not turning to Him or trusting in His Divine Mercy, but He is always there.

As His children, we are called to reflect His mercy on those around us - no matter what they've done. "I'm free to start again. Our sin doesn't shock YOU. Our shame doesn't shame YOU at all."

His grace guides me in this very mission each time I serve our brothers and sisters on the streets of Grand Rapids. Interacting with many of the same people week after week and building relationships with some is one of God's greatest blessings in my life. Set in motion through prayer, groups of us go to serve lunch to the hungry, but our time there is about so much more than lunch.

Weekly visits with some have turned into mid-week phone calls or visits. Unrecognized numbers on my phone often bring the joyful greeting of one of the brothers from the park "just calling to say hello and see how we're doing." God is good.

There are countless stories on the streets of failure - failure in the world's eyes, that is. That "failure" brings many to their knees - some literally and some subconsciously.

As the song says and our Lord proclaims, "Failure doesn't faze me." Our failures are stepping stones on the road to redemption. In our failures we see ourselves as sinners in need of a Higher Power - Jesus.

"No matter the war.
Our hope is secure.
YOU fail us not. YOU fail us not.
YOU fail us not!"

If our ears and the eyes of our hearts are open, Jesus' grace will flow freely into our hearts. Humility is a great gift. When we make a mistake and realize it, this is the time to praise God instead of condemning ourselves. In that moment He allowed us to see our sin and turn to Him, who alone can cleanse us.

Each Saturday morning before heading down to Veteran's Park, I participate in the Holy Mass or spend time with the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration in order to bring His presence within me to our neighbors. There is no way I could go down there on my own merit. He is in charge of the day, and I just pray that I hear Him and see Him when He calls upon me and the others who serve Him there.

Our failure doesn't faze YOU...

As tabernacles of His Spirit, the failures of others should not faze us either. We are called to look with love on our neighbors, just as we ask them to look with love on us - in our homes, communities and beyond. Only then does it become easy to meet and build relationships with those society may deem failures.

If Jesus Christ is pure love, then we should pray for His grace to reflect and act with pure love.

Planting the seeds of love will bear great fruit.

We now have people who we have served helping us serve! One gentleman who lives in a low-income apartment complex in the area where we serve lunch sometimes now comes to the park to see us and help serve. What a beautiful blessing this is for us and for him to be able to serve others (he is out of work). He is always sharing the joy of Christ in his smile and conversation and now can pass this on to his fellow brothers and sisters.

Another woman, 'Sue', who has befriended us comes all the way from south Grand Rapids each Saturday. She has an apartment, but no family or community to encourage her. She has limited income for food. Her life has been full of trials, "with no way out" she says. We continue to encourage her to call on the Lord and not focus on her current trials. She continues to come back and share.

God has called Sue and I together. His reason is only known to Him, but He surely has a plan for us both. Week after week, I have felt so inadequate in this situation. This woman has cancer and countless other struggles. I have sat for hours with Sue in the ER, prayed with her, listened to her. Our family has done other things with her and for her, but I feel so helpless because I can't really do anything for her. She has to want to change and want to accept Christ. Her struggles are more spiritual than worldly.

Praying and listening in my weakness, I hear God's message...

"Amy, I know you feel inadequate here, but I didn't call you for your strength. YOU can't help her, but I can. Let MY STRENGTH and grace work through you to bring her to me."

Can I share with you that I am VERY uncomfortable with His mission with Sue? (or perhaps hers with me) I like to fix things. I like to see results. All I can do with Sue is listen and continue to point her toward Jesus - the only one who can rebuild her life and show her true love. LISTEN. Whether she accepts Him or not, I will continue to love her and be a friend. This is all I can do with everyone I meet.

O Lord, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

Each month we hear more stories of housing and jobs found. We hear words of hope and gratitude. God is always in hope and gratitude.

There are numerous other fruits that we will never see until Our Father reveals them in heaven.

Some people have faith that runs deep and sustains them in their life of homelessness, but they still get discouraged. Some are still searching for the true God. There are others who have fallen away from their faith and looking for guidance back. Still others whose image of our Lord has been warped by the world or by false teaching. When the Lord calls, are we willing to risk our comfortable lives for their souls? We may be the only contact they have with someone outside of their circumstances who says, "stay strong. You can do it."

We go downtown to serve and bring the love of Christ, though this is done more through our actions than words. Last week was a little different in that respect.

One gentleman, who I met last December, but haven't really had any lengthy conversations with, really wanted to talk about life, our Lord and share his faith. 'Billy' said he doesn't have anyone else with whom he can discuss the Bible. As soon as he starts, they walk the other way. I explained that because others know where he stands and WHO he stands for, he is still a witness to Christ, whether they walk away or not. Someday a brother may search him out to talk with him about our Lord. Then "Billy" will be the bridge where there was none before.

One of his favorite psalms is Psalm 37. It helps him through the waiting.

Each week, by the grace of our Lord Jesus, there is harmony, compassion and peace in the park. It may be short-lived or remain for the day or beyond within the brothers and sisters we meet. There are so many circumstances that seek to steal this peace from them - drugs, alcohol, worry, shame, fear...

Stay focused on the Lord...

The evil one doesn't like us bringing life into his territory, but we go without fear in the name of the Lord not looking at the deeds of those we meet because they have all been created in the image of God.

St. Peter proclaimed -"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."
-- 1 Peter 3

Please continue to pray for the many brothers and sisters in our community and throughout the world who are homeless and hungry. May we unite with Christ in our sufferings.

Pray for us who serve that we remain humble, obedient and open to God's will.

Pray for His abundance in donations and servers so we may continue this mission.

Pray and stay in the Word to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ who never fails us!

Are We Really Being Honest About our Hunger?

2009-06-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent post by Lilla Marie Lottinger, submitted here with her permission from www.catholicexchange.com.

Lilla Marie Lottinger is a lay missionary living in the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese. She works for the non-profit organization: Missionaries of Our Mother of the Eucharist. Her mission in the Church is to help foster a personal relationship with Jesus, our Eucharistic Bridegroom through Mary, the Spotless Bride.She is a columnist for the St. Charles Herald Guide. She can be contacted through her website: www.ourmotheroftheeucharist.org.

What is your hunger? What is it for which you thirst? Let us be honest, be real with ourselves even if we feel ashamed, as though it is a disorder…

We must bring it to Jesus! Present it to Jesus in full light and truth. Share openly and vulnerably with Him. He longs for this.

And we will see that layers of our superficial and disordered longings begin to peel away, till we find at the core our true self, our deepest and truest longing which is for love — to be deeply known and loved by another to the core of who we are.

For this, my dear friends, is the deepest hunger and thirst that we all have — and with which we have all been created. Why?

Imagine a magnet, created to be drawn to and attached to metal. We are all created to be drawn to and attached to the love for which we were created -– Love Divine.

MANY THINGS we can feel drawn and attached to other than this love. They may have hints or even facades of this Love, but never on their own can they truly satisfy us.

Do we feel a restlessness or discontent, a desire for something more? If we take time to be really honest with ourselves, we cannot answer anything other than “yes.” … Unless, that is, we have already found the “pearl of great price” and sold everything else to buy it.

“My soul is not at rest until it rests in You my God!” St. Augustine prayed. “You were within and I was all the while looking outside.”

Yes, the answer to our hunger and thirst comes from within. It comes first from a true surrendering of our hearts and lives to our Creator; and then from allowing His redeeming, healing, consoling love to enter in.

Jesus died that we “might have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). He gives us the living waters of His love to quench our thirst, as He tells us, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:13).

His life-giving Spirit is the “water” for which we thirst; His true presence in the Eucharist is the “living bread” for which we hunger.

He truly fills and satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts if we but become like the woman at the well and ask, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst!” (Jn 4:15). And this we must do daily.

And then we will be responding to Isaiah’s plea, “Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of comfort” (Is 66:10). We will be saying with the psalmist, “As a weaned child in its mother’s arms, so my soul rests in you my God” (131:2).

“When you see this your hearts will rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass” (Is 66:14).

Trials and Love

2009-06-16T05:15:00.000-07:00

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only,what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Jewish people were handed some revolutionary teaching.
After being taught ‘an eye for an eye’, the Jews are now taught to turn the other cheek and pray for those who persecute them!

We, too, are called to ‘be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is perfect.’
What does that mean?

In our worldly ways – perfection is mostly attributed to the physical – perfect face, perfect weight, and perfect hair. If everything is in place with our appearance, then our lives will be perfect!

It’s no wonder that those who are less than perfect physically would feel depressed and unloved when God is not the author of their identity.
When we allow God’s grace to create perfection in us, it is many times unseen by the world or met with persecution. The perfection of Christ within us radiates a peace that the world is unfamiliar with.
When we love our enemies and do good to those who curse us, God’s grace will rain down and bring about change. We may not ‘feel’ or ‘see’ the changes going on, but they are happening in God’s way and God’s time.

“God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust….”
Just because we live a virtuous life doesn’t mean we won’t suffer trials.

So many of the neighbors we meet in Veteran’s Park suffer quite obvious trials. Much of the world says these neighbors aren’t worth the extra effort to help because they won’t get anywhere anyway. Doing anything for them is such a small drop in the bucket. Why bother?
"Get behind me, Satan!" This is worldly thinking, not godly wisdom.

I must admit there are times when I take my focus off Jesus and wonder what good are we really doing serving lunch every Saturday in the park. The questions rattle around in my mind, searching for answers. I ask Jesus what He wants. Our Savior, True Love Himself says – “Love me. Love your neighbor from the depths of My love for you.”
Our human minds can cloud up this simple message from our Lord. I pray to let His love penetrate my heart beyond my doubts.

Of course, many of us also suffer trials that go unnoticed by the world because they are inner trials - addiction, anger, envy, etc... We know that these trials may be more difficult to overcome because if we look good on the outside, we can ignore the inside that only we see. The problem here is that others can still see our trials in our behavior. As Christians, we are called to reflect the light of Christ in our actions. Only our total dependence on Jesus Christ will allow us to do this.

"If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth." 1 John 3:17-18

How can we help our brothers and sisters in need today? Our answer comes in our relationship with Jesus -LOVE. Pray and discern how the Holy Spirit wants you to live out that love. "For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only,what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Trust in the Lord...

2009-06-10T17:33:00.001-07:00

Lord, give me the heart of a child and the courage to follow it.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

My son and I were talking about what this means to be like a little child. I said that even as adults, we're called to be like little children. He turned to me with a puzzled look, so I asked him if he ever lies in bed at night worrying about how dad and mom are going to pay the bills or if he will have food to eat when he wakes up. He looked at me like I was crazy. "No. Why would I do that?" he bellowed.

"So that means you trust your parents to take care of you without wondering, right?"

"Yes, mom," he answered, rolling his eyes.

"Well, we're supposed to have this same child-like trust in our Heavenly Father with all our needs and desires. It's not always easy, but there's so much freedom in that trust."

Through the gift of faith, we are able to trust in Jesus and know that it is only in Him, with Him and through Him that we have anything or accomplish anything in life. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

There are many who find it difficult to trust in other people, let alone trust in a God whom they cannot see.

As we go downtown each week to feed lunch to our homeless/jobless brothers and sisters, we ask our Lord to help us be a bridge to Him and from Him for those who have no one to trust in. We bring food for their physical hunger, though our hope is that they receive the love of Christ to fill their spiritual hunger.

Through the stories of some of the "regulars" I have been privileged to befriend, I have also learned how to detach myself from earthly things and trust more deeply in God.

There is a beautiful group of women who contribute periodically to this lunch mission on Saturdays. They give of their time, talents and treasures to provide nutritious lunches, prepared with great love. I leave you with some words that one of them shared this with me today.

Mother Theresa said “ It is harder to feed the hunger for love - than the hunger for bread” I’m helping by feeding with bread – but on Saturday your presence will be feeding their hunger for love. Together I pray that we bring peace to those we help and bring glory to His name. -Angela

Amen!

God's love is unconditional

2009-05-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

I know I just wrote, but I had to share a message I heard recently.
While working with the poor and suffering, I am always touched by how God allows me to see His face in them and love unconditionally.
I am daily trying to live out this unconditional love within the walls of my own home - the biggest challenge and gift of all!

The other night I listened to a local priest, Fr. Joachim, speak about the dynamics of our relationship with God/Jesus Christ.
He was speaking about how much God loves us and that His immense love never changes. We can't do anything to earn more love or lessen the Father's love for us because God is Pure Love.

Along these lines, Father Joachim shared a powerful quote from Father Richard Rohr, OFM - "God doesn't love us if we change; He loves us so we can change."

Close your eyes and allow those Spirit-filled words settle in your heart.

In our world where so many base their identity on their accomplishments or the latest trends, these words really touched me.

Are we teaching our children that their identity comes from God? As Christians are we sharing this message of unconditional love with our brothers and sisters - especially those who are suffering?

Just some food for thought to chew on...

Are you available?

2009-05-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

"The value of our life does not depend on the place we occupy. It depends on the way we occupy that place." St. Theresa of the Child Jesus

It's been awhile since I've written on the blog - The well is dry lately.

My personal journal pages are filled with utterings and prayer, yet I don't feel I have much to share that's worth anyone's time. I believe that's right where God wants me - where He wants all of us. We should be completely dependent upon Him and not our own ability. Therein lies true faith.

When I don't know what's up ahead or can't find the answers, that's when Jesus can do His best work. Sure, He can and does work with me when I think I've given over everything but still have my hands on the wheel, but He wants me to take my hands off the wheel and let Him drive.

So many people that we meet living from one day to the next on the street or in the mission are walking by faith, depending on God. They say they have no other choice, but they do. Many exercise other choices through drinking, drugs, prostitution, etc... but our loving Father is so very close to them even in their suffering. He feels their pain. The body of Christ, His children, are supposed to be Jesus' hands and feet helping to ease our brothers and sisters burdens.

The most important way is through prayer. Of course, prayer calls us to love in action. We may do this through serving meals, providing clothes or hygiene items or offering a smile and a listening ear. In doing so, opportunities for evangelizing will present themselves.

Evangelizing doesn't mean we have to shove a Bible in their hands and start preaching. Yes, I have handed out Bibles and had in-depth conversations about the Lord with many brothers and sisters on the streets, invited them to ask Jesus into their hearts and taken them to church. But I never go downtown focused on talking about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is in charge. If he wants me to open my mouth to share the name of Jesus, then so be it. Many times I find the Spirit wants me to be like Jesus without mentioning His Name. When we serve Him, others see His reflection in us and ask questions.

St. Francis once said, "preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
My Catholic faith and the witness of the saints who walked in Jesus' footsteps have taught me more than anything how to live like this. Yes, the saints were sinners like the rest of us, but they spent much of their lives seeking after God's will with no cost to themselves. They spoke up when called upon, but many laid down their lives and shed their blood for Jesus.
I don't know about you, but reading about the apostles and the saints being martyred shows the Gospel message.

In the book of James, the author writes to the people saying, "be doers of the word and not hearers only." He also says, "be quick to hear and slow to speak..."
Oh, if I only followed this more in my earlier years! I've been told that God gave us TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason :-)

What is God saying to you today? How do we know when the words we hear within our from Him? Are they in line with Jesus' commandments and the teachings that He handed down to the apostles through His Church?

Each morning after saying good morning to Jesus, the first prayer on my lips is, "Lord, open my lips that I may sing Your praises. Give me ears to hear You and eyes to see Your goodness in all things." It's amazing the perspective He allows me when I focus on Him and forget myself.
On the other hand, it's very evident and sad for me and my family when I don't!

As I was praying over the weekend, the Lord spoke in my heart and said, "step aside and let Me take over. You are weary, rest in Me."

I gave my whole life over to Christ years ago, but I knew in my heart exactly what He was saying.
I can get cruising along following Him, but then I start trying to figure out what He wants.
Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Hmmm... what does this mean? I wonder if He is saying this or that? Sound familiar to anyone? Maybe I'm the only one who likes to know all the answers. That is a true weakness of mine, but the Lord has turned it into His strength because He showed me how tiring the "desire to know" can be or how I can trick myself into thinking I know the plan, which then puts "I" first instead of last.

There is so much freedom in humbling myself before God and saying - I DON'T KNOW, but YOU DO and that's good enough for me! The peace that pours out is serene. The Lord reveals His plan in His own time, not mine.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Praise Jesus for that!!

TRUST. FAITH.
He calls. We answer. We step out into the abyss by faith. We listen more than we talk. A great place to do this is in Eucharistic Adoration. We can just be in His presence without an agenda.
He opens the doors when we hear with His ears and see with His eyes. When we don't know the way, He steps in and does miraculous work in our souls so we can go out and serve in His Name.

Those around us will know we are Christians by our love, as the song goes.

Evangelization will happen when we are going about the business of loving God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor with the love of Christ.

We may say, "what do I have to offer that Jesus really needs?
To quote Angus Buchan from the movie FAITH LIKE POTATOES, "God doesn't need our ability. He needs our availability."

Are we available to Him this week?

Our awesome Lord is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." All we have to do is be available to Him right where we are. He loves us because He created us in His image. Reflect that image in all you do.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always. Amen!

Opening our eyes to miracles

2009-05-14T05:27:00.001-07:00

Every day our Lord Jesus Christ is working miracles right in front of our eyes. Do we believe?

By His grace, we can see the miracles. We only need to ask Him, in faith, to open our hearts and eyes. Lord, heal my brokenness that blinds me from seeing.

Here's where humility comes in again...

We know that before Christ Jesus healed the body, the person seeking to be healed had to step out in faith. So, they had admitted their sinfulness within their heart and believed in One greater than themselves. That's a difficult step for many of us. I know when confronted by my husband or another family member about my uncharitable behavior, I sometimes try to defend myself rather than admit my fault. When this happens, there's a period of unrest and disorder. God has shown me my sinfulness, yet I have chosen to be prideful and shut out His healing hand.

The times I do readily admit my faults are the times the Lord's peace immediately sets in and brings harmony to an otherwise negative situation. I know this doesn't qualify as a miracle, but there have been times my family would say, "Hey, it's a miracle! Amy admitted she was wrong!" ha ha

It is only by the grace of God that any of us can admit our sinfulness. Recognition of our shortcomings is a gift from the Lord. The day we stop recognizing is the day we're in big trouble.
Many in the world are in trouble, but the good news is that Christ's mercy is vast and neverending.

If so many don't have faith in miracles today, this may be the reason we don't see them as often. "...Jesus said to them, Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honour. And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matt. 13:57-58)

Every once in awhile the media spotlights a modern-day miracle like the "Miracle on the Hudson". The story spreads around the world for a few weeks, then dies down.
Was the miracle that the plane landed like it did on the river so hundreds of lives were saved or was the miracle that Jesus Christ saved lives and healed spiritual blindness?

Do you wonder if the miracle really has died down in the lives of those who were involved? We would have to contact those people to see how/if their lives have changed. Have they gone back to their usual routines or are their lives bearing fruit from Christ's saving grace? Isn't that the true outcome of a miracle?

In this story, the news media were praising the pilot. To be sure, he was chosen for this day by God, though he tried to remain humble amid the attention. How much praise were we giving to Jesus Christ - the real miracle worker? Can you imagine if the headlines the next day read - "JESUS CHRIST WORKS THROUGH PILOT ON THE HUDSON. HUNDREDS OF SOULS REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL" Whoa! See this article for a story that didn't make the mainstream media headlines.

Well, that was just the kind of "headline" that the disciples were proclaming after Pentecost. Some tried to praise the disciples, saying they were gods, but the disciples would have none of that.
"In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, Stand up on your feet! At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in human form!
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.
The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them." Acts 14:8-15

What are the headlines we're proclaiming in our homes and communities?

Are we stepping out in faith to proclaim the healing power of the One True God, the Miracle Worker?

Recently, there was a chain of events downtown that led to someone's life being saved - literally.
Only God could have lined up the people involved to make this happen as we were all strangers weeks before. Some praised me for bringing to light the situation, but there was no way I could take credit. I just kept proclaiming the awesomeness of Jesus Christ and His hand in arranging everything. Of course, all the people involved had to step out in faith and play their parts.

There are numerous miracles like this in our lives every day. Lord, increase our faith so that we may see and believe in Your miraculous ways and zealously proclaim them to all!

Handle with prayer

2009-04-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

Lord, open my eyes to see and my ears to hear You today. Let me see Your reflection in everything around me. Keep me humble as I take risks in faith. Thy Will be done.

How do we handle the frailness of life?

For many of us, the answer is prayer - communing with our Lord through our words and in His Word. It may be early in the morning on our knees are sitting in our favorite chair watching the sunrise. Or maybe we pray while we're driving or doing the dishes. Really, our life is a prayer when we live it through our love for God.

Without Him, I am nothing. I couldn't get through one minute without His grace.

Think about that statement: Without Him, I am nothing.

Too many in our world only know the second part - I am nothing. They don't know Jesus. They only know what the world tells them to worship - self, money, clothes, stuff... The world tempts them to believe that things will complete them. If they acquire the things, they soon realize that those things don't bring lasting happiness. When the things are lost, they feel like they are nothing.

Because many of us were raised in Christian homes, we may take for granted that everyone knows Jesus or at least about Him. Knowing about Jesus as a person who lived long ago is very different from knowing and trusting Jesus as a friend.

Today, I met a soft-spoken young woman (V) who believes in God, but knows nothing about Jesus other than she has heard "He was a nice man."

What is a "nice man" to a woman who's been abused within her family? Can she really comprehend the gentle love of Jesus?

This beautiful woman is hurting physically from cancer and emotionally from a broken life. She has two young children, but is all alone now because they have been placed in foster care. As a mother, I can only imagine the ache she lives with after months of not being able to see and hug her children. She doesn't have a faith community and was raised "unchurched."

Life is fragile. Handle with prayer.

All the while we're talking I'm silently praying, "Lord, be with us now." V was very reserved, but looked like she could use a hug. I asked if I could give her a hug and she embraced me so deeply I could feel her love, loneliness and pain. "Jesus wants to meet you right where you are. He loves you and knows your pain," I told her.

Can you pray to Him?"

"I could try," she said shyly.

As we were talking, a little girl (daughter of one of my friends who was there helping serve lunch and talking with people) came up and offered V a little prayer card. The prayer card had the 'Footprints' poem on it, and V started to cry as she read it. The little girl had no idea that this was the perfect card for this young woman. God was truly at work.

"Thank you very much," V said to the girl.

We continued talking. She gave me another big hug and said she was very glad to have met us.

I was glad to have met her. Talking with her opened my eyes wider to God's enormous love and how we can do nothing to earn it. Dressing up for our Savior at church and singing praises to Him is beautiful. God loves that. More importantly, though, He looks at our heart - not our clothes -and really wants us to sit in silence with Him and trust Him. Doing this would be a big risk for V.

Life is fragile. Handle with prayer.

How else but prayer can we handle a meeting like this? Her life, my life can only be mended with prayer - communing with our Heavenly Father, the Divine Physician, Who can lead us on the road to healing if we would just call out to Him in faith.

For those of us that have a relationship with Jesus, we are obligated to share His love and forgiveness with others. Our faith is a gift to be handed on to everyone we meet. The spiritual gifts God bestows upon us through the sacraments are not merely for our own use. They are to share with our brothers and sisters - the mystical body of Christ.

There are so many stories in the lives of friends that we meet each week. On the drive home, my heart swells with so much love and ache I can barely hold back the tears. I am in awe of the Creator and how he intertwines our lives. Life IS fragile. We must handle it with prayer.

Through faith and union with our Lord Jesus Christ - we are given the grace to handle not only our life, but the lives of those around us. In doing so, this will certainly mean taking a risk.

Isn't that really what faith is all about?

Taking a risk to believe in One whom this world can't prove everything about? Taking a risk to build our whole lives around One whom others question and disrespect? It's a risk to live for the One whose life is a mystery - who suffered, died and rose because He loves us so much.

It was risky for Jesus to talk to the woman at the well, to forgive the sins of the paralyzed man, to speak the Truth.

It's risky to put our life on the line because others may laugh at us, torment us, or criticize us.

What is the big risk? Our pride. Our pride keeps us from so receiving so many miracles from the Lord.

But, but... we say, others may laugh at me, torment me, or criticize me. That can be a blow to my pride. Well, pride will only shut out the Lord and keep us from full relationship with Him. Maybe some want this, but I certainly don't.

Is there a remedy to pride? Yes - humility!

Humility is the greatest weapon against the devil.

Humility means not desiring to be praised, approved of, preferred or noticed above others.

Humility means not fearing rejection, ridicule or humiliation.

Next time we're humiliated and don't react negatively, we should praise the Lord as He has just given us the opportunity to grow in the virtue of humility! Of course, it's not so easy. We have to ask the Lord to be on guard for us.

Humility and taking risks for the Lord go hand in hand. If we're not taking risks in the name of faith, then how can we expect to see miracles happen?

Lord, increase my faith that I may believe the unbelievable and take risks for Your glory.

Do you think that it was easy for the young virgin Mary to risk her life to become the mother of God? It was a HUGE risk!

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there will be no end."
And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?"
And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible."
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her."

Each day, the Lord calls us to risk our lives through little annunciations. Pray this week that we can be "handmaids of the Lord" and step out in faith to meet Christ in the lives of those who may have no one else to talk to. Pray to believe the unbelievable or for those who are lonely and unsure to believe and trust in the One who is unbelievable to much of the world.

What annunciation is God calling you to this week? However fragile it may be - handle it with prayer.

Jesus walks with us

2009-04-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

First off, we are praising God for his blessing of a job for our friend, Andy. We greeted him outside the library this past Saturday where he shared the good news, along with a big hug. Seeing the smile on his face and hearing it in his voice was one of the highlights of my week. It's been quite a journey for him since last fall. He opened us his life to us,sharing hopes and discouragement. I kept telling him that God was making plans for him and to stay strong.
Why we connected to him, in particular, is a mystery to me, but surely not to God.

Now, Andy is on to a new chapter. Please continue to pray for him - that he trusts and acknowledges Jesus Christ as His Savior Who is in control of all that happens to him.

Through our relationships on the streets - whether they last for five minutes or five months - I have seen how strong faith can be in those who live from one day to the next, not knowing where they will sleep or how they will provide for their basic needs.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Looking into the eyes of so many that we meet each week, there is this raw faith. Sometimes they admit it, many times they shy away from sharing. It's easier that way - or so it seems.

My faith is strong in many aspects (though I pray each day for stronger faith), but I don't have to wonder about meeting my basic needs of food, shelter, work. I trust in God for His providence, though at times, I'm sure I supersede His hand when I become impatient. When the people of the world who are forgotten by many -through their homelessness, joblessness or addictions- become impatient, they are forced to be more patient. What's the alternative?

When those who are homeless, jobless, without family put their trust in God, they are like the woman crawling through the crowd stretching to touch the hem of Christ's robe so she will be healed of her hemorrhaging. The crowds of people ignore her or tell her to go away, but she will not be deterred. Her faith is stronger at that moment than Christ's own disciples who were with him every day, yet did not fully understand Him.

And Christ Jesus says, "daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace." Mark 5

Her faith made her well. Jesus can not heal us without faith. Never assume that because of the way someone's life looks that they don't have faith.

Many prayed that Andy would get a job, but also that he would have faith in Christ - faith that Christ is always right there walking with him on his road, just as He was with the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the above picture.

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.” - Luke 24:13-16

Jesus came up and walked along with them. Doesn't that bring to mind such love and hope? Jesus knew of their doubt. He knew of their sadness and confusion. In His immense love, He sought to open their eyes and comfort them. The same is true for us. We may not recognize Christ, but He is always there waiting for us to invite him along on our walk.

When did the two men finally recognize Jesus? "When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

The disciples, like us, could not recognize Christ because they were focused on His death at Calvary. They were stuck thinking about "the failure" at the cross, instead of the promise of His Resurrection. So Jesus opened up the Old Testament scriptures to them along the way. He didn't leave them and say, "these no-good knuckle heads! I've tried time and time again, but they just don't get it! I'm done with them." Thank God for that! Thank God He doesn't do that with us or we would cease to exist.

We all get stuck in our daily trials at times - looking too intently on the details of the day instead of keeping our focus on Jesus Christ who told us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

As children of God, it is our duty and privilege to help and encourage our family members (family means all as God is Father Creator of all) on the road of life. We are also to allow others to encourage us. "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:12-13)

I am encouraged by the faith and fortitude of the many friends I meet each week in the park or around Division Street. I am encouraged and humbled by Christ, who is Mercy itself.

Every day, I pray to walk in His Mercy, to look out with His eyes of Mercy, to listen with His ears of Mercy. When I succeed, all the glory is His.

During my youth when I was in the depths of a sinful life, spending some time on the street and very close to being without a place to live, God was covering me with His grace. I certainly didn't acknowledge this. I had turned my back on God, His commands and His Church and didn't believe I was worthy of His love.

He didn't turn His back on me though. There were many times He tried to reveal Himself to me, but I couldn't recognize Him because I was focused on myself and my sins, instead of His Mercy.

At the lowest point in my life, I cried out, "save me, LORD!" In an instant, He was right there, bringing His Peace. It flooded my soul, and the next day I was making plans to leave that life behind. Still, His Peace was foreign to me at that time, so it took awhile before I believed and trusted fully in it. Thankfully, He has immeasurable patience and continues to save me every day.

Though I have left my former life far behind and am a new creation in Christ, I can not forget that it is only by His grace that I was saved, am saved and will be saved. He calls us to abandon ourselves to Him fully and share His peace with those who are hungry, sick, imprisoned or lonely, whether they be in our neighborhood, in the next town or across the ocean. In meeting their needs and communing as a family - we meet our Savior Jesus Christ.

May your eyes be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ on your walk this week.

Seeing Jesus

2009-04-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

Guest post by Todd G.

We saw Jesus this past Saturday. The Holy Spirit led us right to him. What a beautiful morning--cool and lots of sunshine. We set up our table with food and drinks for the less fortunate in Veterans Park. Sitting in the park were at least eight people waiting for a nice meal.

Needless to say, it was a busy morning. I saw Jesus in the eyes of every person I met. Have you noticed how kind these people are? Or how they always ask “what church are you from?” or “God bless you”.

“Love thy neighbor as yourself” was all I could think about. During the short time we were there, I could not believe how many scripture versus came to me….what a grace!

Anyway, the time went swiftly by as we served the continuous line of folks coming for something to eat. Chili was a popular order with everyone--as we ran out once again…along with the hot chocolate. Remember the miracle of the five loaves and fishes? Well, I was praying. Chicken noodle soup and sack lunches went out faster than an order of fries at Mickey Ds.

Yes, we saw Jesus many times over, and my heart was touched by The Father’s love.

JESUS is there with us in our suffering

2009-03-30T07:32:00.001-07:00

JESUS, I trust in YOU.

There are many thoughts and blessings swirling around within me. Come Holy Spirit and guide me - not my words, but Yours.

For those of you following this blog, what are your thoughts?
How has God been speaking to you and how have you responded?
Please comment and share your stories. They will be inspiration for others.

We are all on the same journey toward heaven, struggling along at times to do what is right, "working out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12).
Do we trust in Jesus?
Do we truly believe He is there with us every step of the way?
Do we comprehend His unconditional love for us?
Do we accept that love and live according to it?
HE LOVES EACH ONE OF US -

Take a few minutes and gaze upon the crucifix. (if you don't have one, now is a good time to get one!) Meditate on Jesus Christ's enormous love and mercy.

As we get closer to celebrating His resurrection on Easter, let us take time to reflect on His suffering and death on the cross for us "while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8).
We are not alone in our daily trials. Jesus is right there with us. That is why we have the crucifix front and center in the Catholic Church - as a reminder of Christ's love and sacrifice for us. Through His cross, we can find meaning and solidarity.

We don't suffer in this life because God is punishing us. We suffer because of our sinfulness. Our suffering can bear great fruit. Think of the times in your life where you have really grown in your faith. Has it been when the road has been paved with roses and everything is going your way? Or has spiritual growth occurred when the road had many potholes and there was problem after another? Remember, problems are really just miracles in disguise!

One gentleman we have come to know in the park said to me last week, "I've been high up and now I'm down low. I know God has a plan, but I wonder what he thinks of me right now."
I replied, "I don't know God's plan for you, but I do know that Jesus loves you very much right now. He loves you just as much now as He did when you had a home and a job. He always loves you, no matter what." I don't know about you, but I can't bear to see a brother or sister wondering if God loves them.

Most of us have struggled at times (and still do!) believing that our Heavenly Father loves us. He loves all of us - even those who appear to be very lost.

At Mass during the Eucharistic liturgy, the priest prays these words - "when we were lost and far from You, You loved us even more." What comfort!

For believers, it is our duty to share with others how much Jesus loves them. Ultimately, each one of us has to open the door for Him and accept His love, but He is always there knocking and waiting - loyal and faithful to the very end.

Following is a beautiful prayer that I pray each day, compliments of Mother Theresa.

Jesus is the Word made Flesh.
Jesus is the Bread of Life.
Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the Cross.
Jesus is the Sacrifice at Holy Mass
for the sins of the world and mine.
Jesus is the Word - to be spoken.
Jesus is the Truth - to be told.
Jesus is the Way - to be walked.
Jesus is the Light - to be lit.
Jesus is the Life - to be loved.
Jesus is the Joy - to be shared.
Jesus is the Sacrifice - to be given.
Jesus is the Bread of Life - to be eaten.
Jesus is the Hungry - to be fed.
Jesus is the Thirsty - to be satiated.
Jesus is the Naked - to be clothed.
Jesus is the Homeless - to be taken in.
Jesus is the Sick - to be healed.
Jesus is the Lonely - to be loved.
Jesus is the Unwanted - to be wanted.
Jesus is the Leper - to wash his wounds.
Jesus is the Beggar - to give him a smile.
Jesus is the Drunkard - to listen to him.
Jesus is the Little One - to embrace him.
Jesus is the Dumb - to speak to him.
Jesus is the Crippled - to walk with him.
Jesus is the Drug Addict - to befriend him.
Jesus is the Prostitute - to remove from danger and befriend her.
Jesus is the Prisoner - to be visited.
Jesus is the Old - to be served.
To me Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All,
Jesus is my Everything.
Amen.

JESUS, I trust in YOU.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always.

Charity and Justice

2009-03-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice"- Nelson Mandel

The virtue of justice touches on many aspects of the moral life. It springs from the fundamental obligation to give others their due. When individuals do this for one another, we call this justice.
This is why some people have said that charity and kindness to the poor are not just charity but also justice.

The Bible is full of encouragement to be charitable. The good wife of Proverbs 31 is commended because “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy”. In Deuteronomy 15, God’s people are told “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy.” Jesus, too, calls us to compassionate charity and justice for those neighbors who need it.

What is the justice that we "owe" our neighbor? Who is our neighbor?

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the neighbor is defined universally to be any suffering person, not just a member of the same country, race or faith. Jesus said "the one who showed mercy on him" proved to be his neighbor. (Luke 10:29-37)

Fr. Benedict Groeschel had this to say in his book The Virtue Driven Life :
"Christian justice causes us to give to God what is due Him and, within that understanding, to give to others what is due them as children of God. Christians have a much greater responsibility to justice. We must be more aware of the fact that we all accidentally participate in injustice, that we are well-off because others are poor, and that without ever willing it, we reap the fruits of economic exploitation and impoverishment.

If you feel guilty about some of this injustice, then generosity is a great way out, especially if you're not looking for too much thanks. We could begin with generosity with those who work in restaurants, taxi drivers, and others who work for tips. We can make a habit of showing generosity toward those who work at menial jobs and who are often not treated well. And we can support laws that give a better chance to those who are victims of injustice."

Be faithful. Start today. Start right with the person in front of you - at home, in your office, in school, in traffic, in the store, in church. True, we must be charitable on a global level, but it's important that we look at the person in front of us -one face, one smile, one heart, one person at a time.

We may not be successful at first. In fact, we probably won't see the fruits of our efforts. In our human minds, this is hard to register since we are told that success equals self-worth - constantly bombarded with messages and images of worldly success on billboards, TV adds, magazine pages...

They all cry out - how successful are you? If we can't see our success or measure it, then we must be a failure. But, no, we are not failures if we step out in faith and try. If we are laughed at or shrugged off, then that is an opportunity to grow in the virtue of humility and fortitude!

As Mother Theresa said so many times, "We are called upon not to be successful, but to be faithful."

Lord Jesus, you who willed to become poor,
give us eyes and a heart directed toward the poor;
help us recognize you in them --
in their thirst, their hunger, their loneliness, and their misfortune.

Enkindle within our Christian Family
the virtues of charity, justice and humility

Strengthen us, so that faithful to the practice of these virtues,
we may contemplate you and serve you in the person of the poor,
and may one day be united with you and them in your Kingdom.
Amen.

Embracing poverty and humilty

2009-03-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

"For the Christian there is no stranger. Whoever is near us and needing us must be "our neighbor"; it does not matter whether he is related to us or not, whether we like him or not, whether he is morally worthy of our help or not.
The love of Christ knows no limits. It never ends; it does not shrink from ugliness and filth. He came for sinners, not for the just. And if the love of Christ is in us we shall do as He did and seek the lost sheep." - Edith Stein, Selected Writings of Edith Stein

An amazing thing happens when we strip ourselves of our possessions, admit our sinfulness and acknowledge our need for a Savior - Jesus Christ. We can no longer see ourselves as more important than anyone else. We become simple children of God - equals.

This world of excess materialism keeps us at bay from one another because it tries to get us to look through a "have or have-not" lens when we are called to look through the lens of Christ.
If you have more than me, does that make you better, smarter or more motivated?
If she takes the bus and I drive a Honda, does that mean I'm more favored?

"The commercial advertisements that fuel television deliver one common message: Do not be satisfied with what you have - only more "stuff" can make you happy." -excerpt from When Did I See You Hungry?
Of course, it doesn't take long to look around and see that more stuff does NOT make us happy, only more in debt and still longing for the only ONE Who can fill our emptiness. When we take more than we need, we are, in essence, stealing from those who do not have enough.
Yes, I can be as guilty as the next person, but it's the questions/prayers we ask ourselves and our God when we think we need something that can make the difference in how we live.

Lord, give bread to the hungry and hunger for You to those who have bread.

There is but one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:6)
That means that if you call God - Father, then the young man taking his daily "bath" in the gas station bathroom is our brother. The woman in the Philippines living in a shack alongside the railroad tracks is our sister.

The pregnant mother who's husband has just left her with three kids and is now seeking an abortion because she feels lost and alone is our sister. She needs our compassion and help. She needs to hear the truth - that abortion is murder and will only make her feel worse - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The inward parts of the leper in Brazil were formed in her mother's womb in the same way as mine. The man suffering from addiction on the streets of Grand Rapids was made in secret by the same God who made you and me.

Our God, who knows the number of hairs on my head also knows the number of hairs on the mother's head in Kenya who is suffering from AIDS. Does she deserve to have her hand held and her brow wiped any less than you or I do?

Jesus came for the children living on garbage heaps in India, just as He did for our children.
Justice requires that these children have enough food to eat and a place free from danger to sleep, but justice often times goes by the wayside when it means sacrifice on our part.

I recently met a man - unemployed and living in the mission - who drove his car after drinking too much twelve years ago. He was caught and arrested.
In my youth, I also drove a car after drinking too much - too many times. I was not caught. This man still has a police record that will follow him around for the rest of his life. Even though he has done his time, he will not be forgiven by many in this world. He has been forgiven by Christ, but how about by us? Isn't that what our faith commands us to do?

It is only through our eyes which Christ's compassion can look upon the earth. Are we looking through His lens or is that too inconvenient?

Are we denying ourselves daily and taking up our cross or have we passed it off to others in the world who already have too many crosses to bear and no one to help ease their burden?

We brush the homeless from our minds because their misery might disturb our otherwise beautiful day. How beautiful can our day be when we refuse to acknowledge and take action for our brothers and sisters who are hurting?

Yes, it's true - The scope of poverty and hunger can be overwhelming to us. That's no reason to stop us from starting.
Years ago, my friend, Jim Flickinger, said, "I can't do everything, but I will do everything I can." This is a beautiful motto because each one of us is called to embrace each other in our daily walk. We have all been called upon to give.

Jesus embraced simplicity, poverty and humility. What do we embrace?

rich man-poor man

2009-03-12T09:20:00.001-07:00

Jesus is very clear on how we are to treat the poor. Whether it's poor in spirit or poor materially, our Savior doesn't mince words. We can't pray for the poor inside church without acting on our prayers outside of church. Jesus shows how our souls are at stake in today's Gospel from Luke 16:19-31 show us...

Jesus said to the Pharisees:"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linenand dined sumptuously each day.And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scrapsthat fell from the rich man's table.Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.When the poor man died,he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.The rich man also died and was buried,and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far offand Lazarus at his side.And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,for I am suffering torment in these flames.'Abraham replied, 'My child,remember that you received what was good during your lifetimewhile Lazarus likewise received what was bad;but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is establishedto prevent anyone from crossingwho might wish to go from our side to yoursor from your side to ours.'He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send himto my father's house,for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,lest they too come to this place of torment.'But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.Let them listen to them.'He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'Then Abraham said,'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuadedif someone should rise from the dead.'" Luke 16:19-31

Who in my life is poor (at heart, in spirit, etc...) and needs love and care?

Loving Father, help us to look through Your Eyes and live in union with Your Heart towards those around us. Amen.

Thank you for rain, Jesus

2009-03-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

With the onset of spring comes the rain. Oh, glorious rain! The rhythmic sound of drop after drop upon our roof as we go about our daily business sounds like sweet music.
Who doesn't love a good rainstorm when we're inside looking out - curled up in our favorite chair with hot tea and a book? Or setting at our place of employment all secure and dry?
We're comfortable enjoying God's creation. Bring on the thunder and lightning!

Envision the same rainstorm but instead we're outside. It's chilly as we huddle in a vacant doorway. The lightning flashes and the puddles grow deeper. Our pant legs are getting soaked, along with our only pair of shoes that we can't get out of until we return to the mission in six hours. Oh, if only we had that comfortable chair and hot tea now.

Those two scenes are from different people. Different in this world, yet not so in God's eyes.
Now, intertwine the people in those scenes, and we come up with lunch in the park last Saturday. Every day in the park is different, but God stays the same - faithful, loving and always in control.

The rain poured down, but by His grace, we were prepared! We stuck a large beach umbrella up over a bench and had a couple large umbrellas for use. We still didn't comprehend the awesome time God had planned.

We hope and pray each week that more brothers and sisters will feel the love of God and be comfortable eating lunch with us. Some do. Others step off to another corner of the park. Regardless of what happens, I trust that God is working. Still, I am weak and want to know if seeds we plant will bear fruit. This is a flaw in me from which I seek deliverance, because I know we're supposed to walk by faith, not by sight.

This day, a beautiful thing happened... since we had raincoats and knew we could get warm and dry later, we held out the umbrellas for our brothers and sisters to stand under and eat.
So many came and stayed under the umbrellas to eat, keep dry and talk with us. They allowed us to care for them, which was a huge honor. Had it been day without rain, I could tell some of them would have gone off to eat by themselves. God made a way for us all to interact on a more intimate level because of the rain. My words do not do justice. I am continually amazed that people want to spend time with us each week. Yes, free lunch is the avenue, but that they would open themselves up to share their lives is such a priviledge.

I am reminded of the scene in the movie, Facing the Giants, where Mr. Bridges comes into Coach Taylor’s office and tells him a parable about two farmers who desperately needed rain. Both farmers prayed for rain but only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive the rain. Mr. Bridges asks, “Which one trusted God to send the rain?”

“The one who prepared,” replied the coach.

“God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your fields to receive it,” states Mr. Bridges.

We prepared for fellowship in the rain by bringing umbrellas along with the food because we trust that each Saturday God has a plan. We cannot rely on our own understanding, but instead place our trust in Him. This week, let us "prepare our field" and wait for His miraculous grace to pour down upon us. We just may find blessings disguised as a rainstorm.

Thank you for all your prayers for those in need and for us. Please continue to pray that we stay humble and do His Will. Pray also that our brothers/sisters in need of housing and jobs find Christ along the way to the independence they seek.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always. Amen!

Resting in the Lord

2009-02-23T07:55:00.001-08:00

I want to share an excerpt from the book 'Tell Them Who I Am : The Lives of Homeless Women" by Elliot Liebow. The author spent many years living and serving in the homeless community in and around Washington DC.
The daily routine of the poor and homeless in our area is no different.

For some of the women, day-by-day hardships began with the problem of getting enough sleep. A few women complained they could never get any sleep in a shelter. Grace was one of them. "There's no getting sleep in a shelter," she said. "Only rest."

There was indeed much night noise and movement. There was snoring, coughing, wheezing, retching, farting, cries from bad dreams, occasional weeping or seizures, talking aloud to oneself or to someone else who may or may not have been present, and always movement to and from the bathroom. Grace was complaining about noise, and she found a partial remedy in ear plugs. But ear plugs could not help those women like Kathleen who were kept awake not by noise but by questions: Is this it for me? How did I end up here? How will I get out? But eventually, as the night wore on, there was a lot of snoring, and that meant that, Grace and Kathleen notwithstanding, there was a lot of sleeping, too.

Having to get up at 5:30 a.m. and be out of the shelter by 7:00 was a major hardship of shelter life. It was not simply the fact of having to get up and out, but rather that the women had to do this every day of the week, every day of the year (Thanksgiving and Christmas Day excepted), no matter what the weather or how they felt. On any given morning, as the women drifted onto the street, one might see two or three ailing women - this one with a fever or cough or headache, that one with a limp or stomach ache or other ailment - pick up their bags and walk silently into the weather.

The women especially missed Saturday and Sunday mornings, which looked just like Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. The occasional opportunity to stay in bed an extra hour or two was desperately missed. Not being able to sleep in, ever, especially on a weekend, was seen by many as a major deprivation that unfairly set them apart from the rest of the world. At 7:15, on a Sunday morning in the park, several women were looking for benches that offered some protection from the wind. The streets were empty of cars and people and the rest of the world seemed to be asleep. The women talked about how nice it would be to sleep in just one morning, just for the h*ll of it, or because you don't feel well, and how nice it would be to have a place - not even your own place, just a place - where you could go and lie down for awhile without having anyone else around telling you to do this or do that.

********

Along with perennial fatigue, boredom was one of the great trials of homelessness. Killing time was not a major problem for everyone but it was high on most women's lists of hardships. Betty could have been speaking for most of them when she talked about the problem. On a social visit to the state psychiatric hospital where, four years earlier, she had been an inpatient in an alcoholic program, Betty sought out a nurse named Lou. They embraced and Lou asked Betty what she was doing these days. Betty said she was living in a shelter. Lou said that was a shame and asked Betty how she spent her time.

"I walk the streets," said Betty. "Twelve hours and 15 minutes a day, every day, I walk the streets. Is that what I got sober for? To walk the streets?" Betty went on to say that she shits on a lot of park benches looking for someone to talk to. Many times there is no one, so she talks to the birds. She and the birds have done a lot of talking in her day, she said.

Do we complain about having too too many chores to do around the house or thank our Lord for the home which provides those chores?
Do we often wish for more "free" time or instead thank our Lord for our jobs, laundry, children, family, church ministries, etc.. which enrich so much of our time ?

Did you get to sleep in this weekend?

How did you sleep last night? Did you wake with praise and thanksgiving on your lips to our Almighty God or with complaints of a too-short sleep?
I am awakened often by a snoring spouse. In this fuzzy awakening, I pray for others who may be suffering much worse. Yet, my first reaction many times is aggrivation as I nudge him so he'll turn over - thus interrupting his sleep - instead of denying myself comfort and "offering up" the small suffering.

In the first chapter of Colossians, Paul writes, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints." Colossians 1:24-26.

In 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul said we all have roles to play. One is that we suffer with Jesus. In Acts, Saul goes to Tarsus and Jesus asks we he persecutes him. Saul, of course, did not persecute Jesus, instead, he persecuted the Body of Christ, the Church.

We know that there is nothing lacking in Christ's suffering, so we understand that Paul meant something else - that God has chosen to make our sufferings to be associated with Christ.
Saint Paul, like the mystical saints, was being mystical. Essentially, he said that if the way he was handling his own suffering pleases God, then he hopes he will bless others as a result.

Next time you're awakened by a snoring spouse - how about taking time to thank God for your spouse and the warm bed which you share and then praying to God for those who may be awake that very moment in a crowded, noisy shelter or on the street shivering under a threadbare blankets and cardboard.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always. Amen!

Reaching out in love

2009-02-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday two groups of us split up to feed our brothers and sisters in different locations in downtown Grand Rapids. What a blessed Valentine's Day it was!

One group went to the park as is done every Saturday. The other group of us went to the Vern Barry Place - Dwelling Place Apartments - on S. Division. We served and conversed with about 50 brothers and sisters, all of whom were thankful and happy to see us. One brother, Sterling, who we have come to know over the months in the park was happy to see us in his place of residence instead of outside where it was cold.

Part way through our Valentine lunch in the community center at Verne Barry, my husband (who had been serving soup in the park) stopped in. He mentioned that they had about 25 people stop by the park for food and conversation - a smaller group than other Saturdays.

I didn't think much about the fewer people until later that afternoon at home. Many times I have been told by various people that the homeless or poor in Grand Rapids are far from starving. Brothers and sisters we meet in the park have told us what a generous community Grand Rapids is and how many places provide meals throughout the week.

When friends find out what we're doing, some say - "why don't you just let the shelters take care of them." or "You may get taken advantage of." or "why stand out in the cold?"
I couldn't help thinking that day - is what we are doing each Saturday that important?
How could I think this when I've seen so many people have come together in the Holy Spirit to contribute to this ministry. That is certainly a witness of Christ's love.

Later that night, I was meditating on the next day's (Sunday) Gospel, Mark 1:40-45
"A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,"If you wish, you can make me clean."Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;that will be proof for them."The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.He remained outside in deserted places,and people kept coming to him from everywhere."

My eyes were opened to the deception of my earlier thoughts -" is it really that important that we're in the park each Saturday?" These thoughts were negative, not lovely or good. They were obstacles to the Lord's peace within me. The enemy was tempting me to doubt God's call.

Immediately, my heart spilled out St. Paul's words to the Philippians -
"whatever is true, whatever is honorable,whatever is just, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,if there is any excellenceand if there is anything worthy of praise,think about these things.Keep on doing what you have learned and receivedand heard and seen in me.Then the God of peace will be with you."

Further encouragement came the next day at Mass when Fr. Tony spoke in his homily about the lepers -untouchables - in today's society. Are we aware of the many "untouchable lepers" right here in our own community - the homeless, the sick or mentally ill, the poor, the neighbor with whom nobody talks, the elderly man or woman at church who comes and goes without so much as a hello from anyone, the alcoholic relative, the homosexual, the son or daughter who feels misunderstood?...

Anyone who is ostracized, forgotten or seen as unimportant is like a "leper".
In other words, WE SINNERS are all lepers at some point. Then what happens when we begin to live at children of God? WE make others feel like lepers!
How often do we ignore them when our Savior, Jesus Christ, embraced them? HE is calling us to embrace them also.

Sure, many of the people we meet on Saturday can get a meal elsewhere. It's cold out, and they don't need to leave the warmth of the library to meet us.
BUT - they are leaving the warmth of the library. They are choosing to meet us as we meet them where they are. They come for hot soup or a sandwich, but stay for conversation. We may be the only diversion from their daily routine of trying to keep busy. We may be the only people they talk to who are not homeless. Yet, we may have some of the same problems at present or in the past.
Possibly, we spread hope and love. Possibly, they open our eyes to the world as it really is - the injustices that happen each and every day in our "Christian" nation.

Personally, I can't not go to the park every Saturday because God has tugged on my heart to go. "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers..."
What happens when we're together and after we depart from each other is up to the Holy Spirit.

Every one of us who have been baptized have been given the gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring God glory and further His kingdom. How will you use your gifts today?

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always. Amen!

JESUS

2009-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

DEAR JESUS, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen.
-daily prayer of Mother Theresa

The gift of giving

2009-02-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

GIVE

St. Paul said in Acts 20:35 -"In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

How will we GIVE of ourselves today, this week, this month, this year?

Sit in the school of silence and ask our Lord this question. He won't wait to answer - if we can remain silent long enough to listen!

This week's post was inspired by the words of our deacon in yesterday's homily as he shared a story about giving.

Giving just to do something nice is much different than giving out of our love for Jesus. Since Christ loved us first, we can freely give from that love. This giving is one of the greatest gifts in life. Giving through the grace of God brings true joy, and true joy is deeper and longer-lasting than general happiness, which is usually fleeting amid the trials of life.

When I find myself unhappy with something or someone, it is usually because I have taken my focus off Christ (the ultimate giver) and instead focus on my own wants first (getting). This distinction can be subtle to our human eyes. We can fool ourselves into believing we're really thinking of others when we're not.

That's why it's so important to pray and stay in the Word of God -the Holy Bible - and partake in the Sacraments that Christ gave to us for strength on our journey.

In the park each Saturday, I have seen brothers and sisters that are unhappy with their momentary place in life. The joy is gone from their eyes. Some have strayed far from our Lord. They are searching and don't yet realize that only Christ will bring them true happiness regardless of their state in life.

Others, if one looks closely enough, project the joy of the Lord, realizing that He is with them in their struggles. Having others to meet them where they are helps them along.

HOPE...

Through your love and support -many sisters and brothers are hopeful. They are hopeful because they know people care about them and their needs as individuals.

One woman receiving care from DeGage took time to help me bring in over 10 big bags of new thermal underwear, scrubs and regular underwear. These were donated by many who chose to give of their treasure to others in need. This woman thanked and hugged me. As I was fastening my seat belt in the van, I looked up only to see her at my window with her hands together in prayer mouthing "thank you" and then looking upward, lifting her hands in praise to God. Had people not given, she may not have taken the opportunity to give praise God.

In praising God, we allow the Holy Spirit to shine through, which then lifts us up.

So, giving brought not only the gift of warmth for body, but also warmth for the soul!

"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord...

Driving down Division Street or any other big-city street in our country, it's easy to see many brothers and sisters walking from here to there. With a quick glance, most of these men and women appear to be wandering without a purpose. After meeting and talking with some of them, we realize that they are not all wandering aimlessly.

Many are walking with a purpose - to the library to read or look at the want-ads on the computer, to the bus stop to catch a bus to fill out job applications, to an area church for breakfast and/or worship, to a friend's house to visit, to the bar for a few drinks, to anywhere other than Division Street where the dark realities of life continually slap them in the face.

For many who want to stay sane and safe, there only choice is walking. If they stay in one place on the streets too long they will freeze or get beat-up/mugged, shoved aside by shop owners, kicked out of the library for falling asleep, etc... The missions put them out by 7:00 a.m. each day, and they can not return until dinner. For those who are looking up, they want to spend as little time as possible in the missions.

Not all those walking around and into the park for lunch are homeless.

One kind older gentleman, Richard, who we've been privileged to befriend does have a permanent place to rest his head. He lives in a nursing home not far from downtown. He walks around most days to keep busy. He stops by for lunch each week not only for the homemade soup and sandwiches, but for companionship.

His mother died a few years ago at age 90. After taking care of her most of his life, he is now alone without any other family. He taught history for many years, but is now unemployed. He really wants to get another job, but isn't having any luck - like most people searching for jobs these days! From our conversations, it's evident that he is lonely.

Setting on the park bench in the sun eating soup together this past Saturday was almost like sitting with my dad. Richard actually knows some of the same people my parents know. We have some other people in common from the teacher arena. I've been thinking for some time now about visiting the elderly in nursing homes, but just haven't. There's no excuse on my part except selfishness.

Now, our patient Father has placed this nice man before me. He gave his address before I even asked. So I then asked him if our family could stop by from time to time for visits, possibly bring dinner. He really liked the idea and gave me his phone number -again before I could even ask. As we left, he smiled and said, "see you next Saturday!"

In giving, we have received an unexpected precious gift - friendship.

Is there anyone near you who is alone and in need of a friend? How about giving your time by sending a card/flowers or inviting them over for a cup of tea and conversation?

I guarantee that in the act of giving, you will find a joy beyond your expectations.

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always. Amen!

LOOKING FOR A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY?

2009-02-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

We are looking for volunteers to make/serve lunch in the park on the following Saturday dates as I will be out of town:

April 4
April 11

Set up at 11:00 a.m. Stay until 12-12:30

Many brothers and sisters come to the park now since they know we're there every Saturday serving lunch.

We also go into the library, walk around the different floors to let people know we're there serving lunch if they are interested.

Please prayefully consider sharing time with those whose friends are few and far between. Call me at 915-2414 or e-mail for more information. Thanks!

World's Apart - Yet So Much the Same

2009-02-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

What a SuperBowl game!
Sunday night, my family gathered at my house for a SuperBowl party. I'd never thrown a football party and didn't consider it until my sister said "Hey. We need to have a party. Let's have a party!" So, knowing I just purchased a cute little crock pot for dips - I needed a good excuse to break it in. What better way than a get-together.

After Mass on Sunday, I loaded the kids in the van and we drove all over town finding good food to eat. Chili, meatballs, pigs in a blanket, apple pie, chips, dip, crackers, sodas...all the staples of having a party. Rushing home to prepare everything, as well as getting the house in order for guests was paramount. The kids cleaned and I prepared food. We had a streamlined operation and by 5:00 PM everything was ready.

As I stood back and watched the kids munch on the food, my house fill with people who are close to me, and watching football on a nice new television I reflected upon the experience we had the day before and said a quiet prayer of thanksgiving for all I have.

My family (along with my sister and her three girls - two of which are teenagers) headed down to Veteran's Park to help serve a light lunch to the homeless of Grand Rapids. This was our first time there, and I had no idea what to expect - and neither did the kids. I simply asked them to dress warm, offer a smile and use their manners. While it was cold outside, we were bundled warm and ready to serve.

It didn't take long before a few people came out from the warmth of the public library to grab a cup of soup, sandwich and hot chocolate. Some stayed only for a moment, as they were not dressed to be out in the elements. Others - while you understood they were cold - stayed to talk and share a bit of their life stories. I could feel the gratitude, the thanks and sense of hope. There was positive energy - in light of the circumstances for each one of the people we met.

The impact was made upon my nieces and the discussion afterwards about those we met wanting to get a job to help get them out of their current situation. Such as not being able to afford the bus pass to look for work or having to fill out an application for a job and not having a permanent residence, to the challenges of having a cell phone with pre-paid minutes and running out while you wait to hear from a prospective employer. The challenges go beyond the situations that may have brought them to being homeless - the addictions that envelop their lives - but even if they were to defeat the one aspect, how do you actually climb out of the hole that seems so deep? Katie and Sarah were able to see just how deep the challenges run and I think it made them understand a bit more.

I think, too, that the kids were able to really get an understanding that while we live completely different lives, we all want the same thing: Someone to talk with, someone that is willing to listen, someone that can not stand in judgement; someone that offers compassion and a smile and makes them feel appreciated and needed at the same time.

One man, Bernie, challenged us - "Why do you come out here, freeze in this weather to hand out food?" My immediate answer was for the friends, the conversations and the enjoyment and satisfaction of serving. Yet, Amy was a bit more to the point of the "Holy Spirit is moving."

I consider too - how serving - giving of my time and energy may not be just because I want to - as opposed to maybe I'm being led to. I'm not an overly religious person. In fact, my struggles with faith and the Church often leave me exhausted. I wish I had the faith that would allow me to undeniably say with whole hearted confidence that the Holy Spirit moved me to serve. The Holy Spirit was the driving force. But I cannot. I think it is more of a self centered approach for the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment I gain. I'll be honest - I am not purely altruistic!

So, for those who may want to help out on a Saturday morning - please do - for whatever reason that motivates you! Perhaps the more often I volunteer, I'll see the Holy Spirit. I only have to be willing to have my eyes and heart open. Maybe the spirit moves you. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe this is the path that will aide in helping those like me, who struggle with faith to find the answers we seek.

So, from the comfort of my home, I look outside and think of Andy, Richard, Bernie, David and those whose names I didn't catch, and I hope they are warm today. I hope they are one step closer to finding their way to personal satisfaction and renewed faith...just like me.

Best,
Jenny Frasco

What is God calling you to do?

2009-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

"As far as I am concerned, the greatest suffering is to feel alone, unwanted, unloved. The greatest suffering is also having no one, forgetting what an intimate, truly human relationship is, not knowing what it means to be loved, not having a family or friends." - Mother Theresa

This past Saturday, we shared soup and conversation many brothers and sisters whom we are seeing on a regular basis. One such quiet gentleman, Andy, we have gotten to know a little through our lunch time. He recently lost his job as a line cook and has not been able to secure another one yet. Living at the missions means he has to use that as his address on job applications. Many businesses aren't willing to hire someone who doesn't even have a permanent address. It's unfortunate, but true. He mentioned that he was happy to have a vacation after working ten years without one, but is now getting a little antsy to start working again.

Because Andy loves to cook, he asked how to make the curried carrot chicken soup that we were serving. We talked as friends do about cooking tips and recipes, yet I couldn't help thinking after we left that we need to do something more to help our brother, Andy. A lot of homeless men and women are truly trying to gain employment and secure a permanent residence. What slows down the process for them is that they don't have an advocate. They are alone in their situation.
We pray for discernment in how to help him and others.

If you or I were to suddenly be without a job, get sick and incur medical debt and lose our home, we would most likely be taken in by family or friends in our faith community. Our family and communities are tremendous gifts from God created to help us along in life. Most reading this blog were born into a decent life. That doesn't mean we aren't sinners without problems. By God's grace alone have we been saved from some of our mistakes.

"Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?
If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too." Psalm 139

Personally, I've been picked up from the gutter of drugs after getting mixed up with the wrong crowd after high school. I moved far away from home and into a place full of what I now see as true evil. I was very close to death one night and my "friends" were along for the ride. Crying out to God, He saved me from the clutches of the enemy.

There was one friend - or angel, as I like to refer to him - that helped me to return home to my family. I thank God and pray for this friend continually, even though I have not seen him since. Little did I know at the time that my parents were praying the rosary every night for me. If it weren't for my family I would definitely have wound up living on the streets or worse. Prayers work miracles. Prayers bring God's power through His Son Jesus Christ to those in need. I was one of those in dire need and will never forget His saving power. Of course, I still covet that saving power every day!

"if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

God doesn't need us to accomplish His plans. To praise Him and acknowledge Him as our Savior and friend is a gift. Our prayers are the first step in working miracles in the lives of the poor and downtrodden. The second step comes when the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts to act somehow. Do we ask the Lord each morning to use us for His purpose? Do we pray for him to heal our blindness and deny ourselves so that others may have more?

A priest once told me, "God wants you to do what He wants YOU to do. No one else can do the mission God has planned for you." We may be the only one to help another brother or sister who is without family or friends. We may be the one whom God called to help someone back into a relationship with His Son.

What does God want you to do? Only in silence will we hear him calling.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your hearts, your minds and on your lips today and always.

brothers and sisters in Christ

2009-01-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him,“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.”But he said to them in reply,“Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)

"Jesus looked at the motley crew of disciples and called them His "mother and brothers." He accepted them as family. He said His brother, sister, and mother is whoever does God's will (Mk 3:35). Although at this point the apostles were not totally doing God's will, Jesus accepted them as family to change them into disciples who would do God's will." - excerpt from One Bread, One Body daily Bible meditations

Would you let your brother or sister dig through trash cans for food? Would you stand by idly and watch them scrounge around in haste, trying all the while to remain inconspicuous? Since we are "all made in the image and likeness of God" (Gen. 1:26-27), then to watch someone dig in the garbage for food is to watch Christ dig in the garbage. Is this how we treat Christ in the poor?

Last week while I was in Washington DC for the annual March for Life, I saw some people digging through the trash for food. The sight was heart-wrenching. I am thankful that God allowed me to help.

Rising early on Friday morning, I sat out in the hallway of my hotel (because of roommates sleeping) to read the Bible and pray that Jesus would open my eyes to see what He wanted me to see that day. I knew when I was planning my trip to DC that God had more plans for me than to just make my voice heard for the unborn - though doing that and seeing the witness of many is powerful and much needed.

Each task we set out to holds more than the mission at hand...
During our parish mission, Catholic Lay Evangelist, John Schweisthal said to us that each trip to the store, library or wherever is an opportunity evangelize the love of Christ. Buying groceries or picking up books is only secondary to sharing the love of Christ. So, I knew that being in the "big city" would provide many opportunities if I allowed myself to look through Christ's eyes.

God doesn't take long to ask... My friends and I set out for Union Station to get subway passes. If you haven't been to Union Station, it's the hub for all the trains - like a giant airport with shops and restaurants. We decided to scope out the scene and get our passes first, then eat breakfast in one of the restaurants there.

As we rode down the escalator to buy our passes, I noticed a ruffled young man riding up the other side. He got to the top, then rode down and walked toward the exit to scrounge through the trash. Finding a half empty juice bottle, he picked it up and drank it. I knew at that moment that I was going to ask him to breakfast. I couldn't bear to watch my hungry brother wander aimlessly looking for people's leftovers.

As God would have it, he came back our way and got on the up escalator right in front of us.
I tapped his shoulder and asked if I could buy him breakfast. From under his hat, he peered at me and said yes. I introduced myself and asked his name. William.

We chatted some and then went into the Au Bon Pain. I told William he could pick out anything he wanted. He said just coffee, but I said are you sure? I knew he was uncomfortable. You can get a sandwich and soup or whatever you like, I said. He liked the sound of that. So I motioned to the area of the soup but he said, no, you come with me. I asked if it was because the staff would follow him or kick him out and he mumbled yes. Welcome to the world of the homeless.

There were many eyes following us around the restaurant. I paid for his breakfast but he didn't want to stick around and eat with us. About 15 minutes later, he walked back by and turned ever so slightly to look back at me. I waved and smiled and caught a guarded grin from him.

A few minutes later, another man stuck his head in the restaurant and started asking around for breakfast at McDonald's. Everyone was just ignoring him like he was a pesky fly buzzing around! I know we have to be careful helping the poor, but that doesn't mean pretending they don't exist. So, this man - Charles - was also treated to breakfast.

I don't say this to draw attention to myself but to draw attention to how many opportunities God gives us to help if we abandon ourselves to Him. I'm sure I could go back to Union Station tomorrow and they would be there wandering around trying to stay warm or panhandle for a few bucks for food or booze. I didn't change their life situation, but they changed me.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your hearts, your minds and on your lips today and always.

Cold hands - Warm hearts

2009-01-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Walking into the GR Public Library, I asked the man at the information desk if he could make an announcement that some friends from our church had hot soup and sandwiches for anyone in need. I said a silent prayer as I waited for the manager's approval. Yes! The announcement was made followed by a stream of thankful brothers and sisters leaving the shelter of warmth to endure the cold air for a few moments.

The library worker came down the steps to make sure we told the people that they had to eat the soup outside. My gratitude collided with slight irritation.

"Lord, help me to love from the depth of my heart when others don't understand." The guy was just doing his job. After all, they did make the announcement, right?
Who among us has not been less than compassionate to the needs of those cast aside by much of society?

Just about two months before we began this mission, I stepped out of our car in St. Andrew's parking lot with my parents and daughter only to see a lady coming towards us asking for help. There were other people milling around Division also. It was dark, and I was thinking of the safety of my daughter and focused on getting inside for Mass. The lady kept calling to me, so I turned and told her I couldn't help right now because I was going to church.

BAM! The Holy Spirit convicted me as I walked away. Oh sorry lady, I can't help you because I'm going to see Jesus! All I could think of was PHARISEE! HYPOCRITE!

Jesus was calling to me right there on the street, yet I was blind. Blinded by selfishness or fear at the same time I was seeking to receive the pure love of Jesus in the Eucharist. How could this be? Our family has spent month after month at God's Kitchen making meals for people such as this woman.

Certainly, I am supposed to be cautious and take care of my children first. Yet I could have acknowledged the woman and asked her to follow us up to the church. Jesus was calling me right there on the street. "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25

If we are open, God will "heal our blindness" through times like this...

As I entered the cathedral, I knelt and prayed for forgiveness,asking the Lord for another chance. Only HE can take our wrongs and use them for His glory.

Weeks passed, and I put the incident away in my mind. Little did I know that I would soon be waking up in the middle of the night yearning to go outside on the streets to meet my hungry, lonely and cold brothers and sisters. Looking back, I now see.
So many others, too, have heard and acted on the Lord's call. There are countless kind-hearted individuals that share the Lord's compassion to make our world a better place each day.

Each day it is important that we pray and encourage our children in prayer to "put on the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2) so that our hearts may be open to those in need. For children, it begins in small ways like helping a classmate with a task or opening a door for an elderly person.
For us, it can be sharing a smile with everyone we see. Introduce ourselves to someone we don't yet know at church or school each week. The opportunities are endless. God will open the doors.

Speaker and author, Matthew Kelly, encourages people to ask themselves and their children this question each day - "How did God speak to you in your life today?" This prepares our minds to listen to God for direction instead of listening the world.

The words to a much-loved song keep echoing in my mind - "We are one body, one body in Christ, and we do not stand alone. We are one body, one body in Christ, and He came that we might have love."
He came that each one of us might have His love.
He came for each one of us to share that love with other people, not things.
People are meant to be loved and things are meant to be used NOT the other way around.

Among the friends we have met...

Please pray for Amy who recently lost her job due to medical leave. She lives in an apartment downtown and is looking for administrative work.

Pray for those with mental disabilities that the world would have compassion and they have stable housing and be well-cared for.

Pray for the veterans who have heroically served our country but are now lost in the shuffle of the streets that they may be given their benefits and be lovingly cared for in their old-age.

Continue to pray for the married couple, Annette and Karl, who are capable of paying monthly rent, but are having trouble negotiating a do-able deposit for an apartment. The spend nights in separate shelters. Pray that they turn to Jesus and trust Him for their needs.

Pray for those who are estranged from their families and find themselves without homes that forgiveness an reconciliation may enter into their hearts and the hearts of their loved ones.

While we can't do everything, we can all do something.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can;and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.

Through The Eyes Of LOVE...

2009-01-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

What keeps us from reaching out to the poor?

There are many different answers to this question, but most times it is fear.

Fear of the unknown... fear for our safety...

What will they do? What have they done? What will they ask of me?

What will I say? What can I really do to change their situation? I'm just one person and their needs are so many.

These are hefty questions to ponder if we start from fear.

In fear we can do nothing because fear is not from the Lord.

Yet if we start from love - love of Christ - the possibilities are endless.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..." (1John 4:18)

Acting in LOVE will have us stepping outside of our comfort zones and doing things we never thought possible in our rational mind.

LOVE will have us walking by faith and not by sight because the sight of things may look pretty grim.

LOVE will have us moving in the Spirit to show others we care regardless of where they are in their lives or where they have been.

LOVE will find us forgetting self and remembering others first.

LOVE will have us standing outside in a park in the blowing snow and freezing wind when we could be home sitting in front of the fire reading a good book.

LOVE will have us taking our valuable time to make soup or sandwiches and cookies for people we don't even know.

LOVE will have us donating our hard-earned money for food to serve to someone who may be addicted to drugs or alcohol or someone who may have been in prison at one time. This someone's present or past doesn't change the fact that Jesus loves them so very much, and that they need to see this in our interaction with them.

Rational? No way. Supernatural? You bet.

So many people have stepped out in LOVE for this ministry on the streets - stepped out from where they are to do seemingly small things with great compassion.

In Christ, you are making a difference - a difference in the lives of those who are often forgotten because of their state in life - a friendly older gentleman living alone in an apartment barely getting by on disability pay, a kind-eyed gentleman living under a bridge, a legally blind woman with the most beautiful smile who will soon be out of the mission and into her own apartment, a young man living in the misson who recently started college classes.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in our heart, our mind and on our lips today and always. Amen!

Smiles, Soup and Service

2009-01-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

That was the friendly greeting shared by our brothers and sisters downtown as they walked into the parking lot at St. Andrew's to see what we were serving this past Saturday.

God served up a sunny, but very cold day for us all on South Division. Good thing the weather isn't a factor for serving Christ!Our friends downtown need food and warm smiles and conversation no matter what the temperature is.

Nine of us drove down to GR this past weekend, which allowed more opportunities to converse. Many stories will go untold, but here are a couple.

After talking over hot cocoa, one gentleman, Thomas, asked me why I was doing this. I told him I am compelled because he's my brother in need, and I care about him.

He then said, "how do you know I'm your brother? What if I haven't accepted Christ as my Savior?"he asked.

"Whether you have or you haven't doesn't change the fact that we are brother and sister because God is OUR Father. So, I live like you are my brother because that is my belief. My actions don't depend on what you believe," I said back.

He shook my hand and said, "that's right! Thank you." We agreed to pray for each other.
He will be losing his current housing in two weeks, but is trusting the Lord.

Now, I'm the first to admit that I haven't and don't always treat those around me with the love of Christ. As a sinner, I fall way short. Just ask anyone in my family!

There is a freedom, though, that comes with faith - faith that God is the Loving Father of all and that Jesus Christ came for ALL, not just those who accepted Him. "But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

This faith compels us to act. Just as the young boy with a meager amount of bread and fish knew it was right for him to share with the other hungry people, we also know it is right. The hunger in our world goes far beyond the physical hunger, though there are millions outside this country dying every day due to starvation.

The boy with the loaves and fishes didn't know what Jesus would do with his offering. We don't fully know what Jesus will do either, but He will do something "far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20)

I also met a married couple this weekend who didn't fit the typical homeless picture. In fact, if you or I saw them walking down the street, we wouldn't suspect they were homeless or jobless, living in separate shelters and unable to find work with their various professional skills.

A, 53, has epilepsy, which contributed to her losing a job. Soon after, she lost her apartment. She has a regular volunteer job, which she enjoys and helps keep her skills fresh.

K lost his job in manufacturing and is staying at a men's shelter on Division. Imagine not being able to spend private time with your spouse except at the library or walking outside! They both said they do the "heartside shuffle" every day, which is a routine of going from here to there for meals and a place to stay warm.

They could get into a HUD apartment if they wanted to get help from the government beyond their SS (welfare, etc...), but they both want to try as best they can not to take that route.

Please pray for them to be accepted into the right apartment soon.

Pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance for us all to stay humble and move according to the His plan.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in our hearts, our minds and on our lips today and always. Amen!

Make me an instrument of Your Peace

2008-12-31T15:29:00.001-08:00

As the mission to the poor continues to take flight on the wings of the Holy Spirit, we are looking at scheduling and organization to make things work smoothly.
We want this to continue on a weekly basis. Please call or e-mail to schedule a weekend to help serve food and share the love of Christ.

For those that cannot go - if you would like to make sandwiches, soup, etc... for us to bring that would be awesome. Many hands make light work. The Lord will meet each one of us right where we are in our desire to serve Him in the poor.

We are in need of three 5-gallon thermos containers to hold soup and hot cocoa/coffee.
If you would like to contribute funds that will go toward food, drinks and paper goods, please send them to 299 Glen Arbor Drive, Rockford, MI 49341

While the clothing has been a wonderful gift to so many we have met, I am feeling the Holy Spirit guiding us away from accepting those donations here as space is limited to accommodate all the your generous offerings.

PLEASE CONSIDER BRINGING YOUR CLOTHING DONATIONS TO ST. ANDREW'S CATHEDRAL OUTREACH, which will then go directly to the poor. They are open on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 1:00 p.m.
Also, the missions downtown are always happy to receive clothing for their clients. Please call ahead to ask what they need. See the links on this site for more information.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-25T05:09:00.000-08:00

Gospel of Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustusthat the whole world should be enrolled.This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.While they were there,the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son.She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.The angel said to them,“Do not be afraid;for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,praising God and saying:“Glory to God in the highestand on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Faith is love in action; and love in action is service.

2008-12-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

An excerpt from Mother Theresa's book, No Greater Love-

"There are many medicines and cures for all kinds of sicknesses. But unless kind hands are given in service and generous hearts are given in love, I do not think there can ever be a cure for the terrible sickness of feeling unloved.

None of us has the right to condemn anyone. Even when we see people doing bad and we don't know why they do it. Jesus invites us not to pass judgment. Maybe we are the ones who have helped make them what they are. We need to realize that they are our brothers and sisters. That leper, that drunkard, and that sick person are our brothers because they too have been created for a greater love. This is something that we should never forget. Jesus Christ identifies Himself with them and says, "Whatever you did to the least of my brethren, you did it to me." Perhaps it is because we haven't given them our understanding and love that they find themselves on the streets without love and care.

Be kind, very kind, to the suffering poor. We little realize what they go through. The most difficult part is not being wanted."

Yesterday was a bitter cold day on the streets, but that didn't stop many from meeting us for pizza, hot cocoa and conversation.

Just one story - we had a brand new sleeping bag still in the box donated this past week. Trusting in God, we prayed that he would bring to us the one who needed it most.

After leaving Division Street, we drove to the public library to see if there was anyone in need of some pizza and hot cocoa.

I went in and met a few brothers from the weeks before. They are both in their mid-sixties, at least. Jim and Carl were enjoying the warmth and quiet of the library but were glad to have some hot lunch. Jim was staying at Guiding Light. I asked Carl, where he was staying. He said he was out on the street until the previous night when he had gone to Mel Trotter. He said he still had a friend on the street. I asked if he could us a sleeping bag, to which he happily replied, YES! They said they were thankful to have the peace of the library as the missions are really noisy.

Outside we handed Carl the sleeping bag and told him the Lord was saving this especially for him. Both he and his friend, Jim, chatted for awhile then said, God bless you.

These brothers are probably in their early sixties, at least.

I saw on the news today that the library was closed. This is not good news for many who seek peaceful shelter there.

This week, please pray for a few of the brothers and sisters we met over the past weeks.

Diane - very depressed yesterday. We have talked with her before. This day she seemed particularly down.

Jim and Carl, Tom, Ed, Tina and Gene - for full-time jobs

Elmer who wants to get off SSI and get a job. He has an apartment.

James, Les, Doug, Bernice, Carlita, Earl, Daryll

Sylvester who has two jobs and is taking care of an ailing father. He has a strong faith, but is struggling with finances and family demands.

Ivory who will be starting college classes in January with the hope of improving himself to get a good job.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your heart, your mind and on your lips today and always!

True meaning of Christmas - giving from the heart

2008-12-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first time I was able to help with the homeless. It was an eye-opening experience. The way the people looked you in the eye and some were so desperate for a connection. I saw Christ in those people and felt His presence amoung us. To give without expecting anything back and for them to know we weren't expecting anything from them. I felt each hot cup of cocoa given was warming my heart also. I know those people have a lot of problems, but at that moment I shared in our humaness. Christ doesn't want us to serve eachother out of obligation or guilt. He wants us to serve eachother to experience his love working through us. He wants to draw us closer to who he is. There is not a better way to spend a cold Saturday - Together with our family and sharing His true meaning of "God with us." Merry Christmas.

HOPE

2008-12-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon, saints!

Praise God for warm clothes, warm homes and vehicles, refrigerators and quiet corners in our homes with comfortable chairs in which to rest and think on this cold blustery day!

After spending week after week down on Division Street, I hear that one of the struggles about being jobless, homeless (staying in a shelter or crashing at a friend’s indefinitely) is the daily uncertainty and noise. Countless brothers and sisters speak of the restlessness of not having a room of one’s own – not having privacy in the bathroom or privacy to gather one’s thoughts in a quiet space.

Whether the groceries are running low, the gas gage on the car is near empty and payday is still five days away, or the washer or dryer are on the fritz, most of us still have a comfortable bed in which to lie in peace at night. We still have the privilege of getting into our own vehicle where we can drive to the store for more groceries and collect our thoughts away from the noise of the outside world. We still have the ability to walk into our own kitchens and look in our own cupboards -- even if they do look a little bare at times.

The hope that lies in the stories of those we meet down near South Division Street is that Christ will meet, is meeting and has met them in their struggles. Some we talk to our richer than those the world calls rich because they are forced to depend on God for their well-being. HE may be all they have left because their families and friends are gone.

This reminds me of a testimony from Captain Guy Gruters on the Lighthouse Media CD Surviving with God in a Communist POW Camp. Gruters tells of his horrific five years spent in a Vietnamese POW camp. He says that he was closer to God and had a deeper relationship with him during those five years than any other time in his life because he truly knew that God was in charge of everything. He had to let go of his anger toward his captors or he knew it would kill him. Only by totally abandoning his will to God’s Will did he overcome his trials.

The bottom line is that we don’t need any possessions to do the work of Christ.
We can choose to be Jesus to those we meet all around us. We can choose to see Jesus in those we meet whether it’s on Division Street, in the workplace, the grocery store, our neighborhoods or churches, etc…All is takes is a smile, a comforting hug, a warm greeting. The brothers and sisters we meet are sharing these gestures and receiving them with genuine gratitude.

Blessed Mother Theresa had wisdom beyond ours as she cared for those whom society discarded because of looks and/or social class. If left to her own devices, she said her work would have been impossible. Only through the love of Christ were she and the Missionaries of Charity able to care for those whom society saw as insignificant because they were sick, had no job, no “worldly” purpose, etc…

This past Saturday afternoon another group made a trip downtown to South Division Street in G.R. We filled up our vehicles with hot pizzas, hot cocoa, hot cider, sandwiches, boiled eggs and fruit.
Parking in St. Andrew’s church lot across from God’s Kitchen was a good spot. So many who came over to us for pizza stayed around afterward to talk.
Through the generous donations of others at OLC and beyond, we had boxes of socks, gloves and scarves to pass out to our brothers and sisters in need.
We saw Doug, Neil, Gene and Tina again from our first day down there. They talked of some hard times, but were also a little more “hopeful” than the first time we met.

One gentleman, Daryll, was repeatedly thankful for his new fleece hat. He was wearing ear muffs that were a bit too small. He shared that he had worked at Steelcase and GM and is now “living” at Guiding Light mission following a divorce. He went to West Catholic and is searching for Christ. He was so happy to have some pizza – a luxury he hasn’t had in a long time. When I told him I was there because he is my brother in Christ, he said that meant a lot.

Another gentleman that was working at God’s Kitchen ran across the street in his apron to say hi and thank us for doing this. He said he was an alcoholic on the streets years ago and has been on his feet and dry for the past eight years. He said every lit bit helps to bring hope.

There were more women this week than ever before. Most were staying at De’Gage’. They were happy to receive women’s clothing items, which came through your generous donations! One woman, Tessa Mae, came back to thank us again after she had been gone for awhile. I gave her a hug and she just kept repeating, “God bless you.” She was full of the Holy Spirit!

Another brother, Martin, was full of life and stories. His past has been a colorful one, to say the least. His future is uncertain, yet the beauty of Christ in him is beyond my words. Shaking hands with him and so many others is one of the greatest gifts.
Those of us making the trips to GR know that we can’t fix the lives of those that we meet each week. We can make a difference, though, by planting seeds. We plant the seeds. God waters them. HE is in control of what happens next.

Here is a link to a recent GR Press article. One of the men we met showed us the article and his picture standing in line!
http://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/12/column.html#more

In this season of giving, please giving to those who won’t be able to repay you(Luke 6:27-35) by donating a Little Caesar’s gift card, hot cocoa, Styrofoam cups, and Meijer card. There is still a need for men’s and women’s gloves and coats. Our brothers and sisters really appreciate the hot pizza and drinks with the chance to socialize.
Also, let me know if you want to schedule a day to drive down to Division and become part of Christ’s bigger family. All you need is a vehicle with compass of Christ at the helm.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your hearts, your minds and on your lips today and always!

Hands to serve and hearts full of love

2008-12-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share with you how our Saturday went feeding the hungry in Downtown Grand Rapids. It was so awesome! There were 10 of us from OLC (including 3 teenagers!). Here are several stories.

The first one involves an elderly man that I saw watching us from across the street. I crossed the street and went up to him and explained that we had free pizza. He told me he was so hungry, but he had no teeth and he asked if we had any soup or something soft for his gums. I told him that all I had was pizza and subs. He very kindly said that he wasn't able to eat those types of foods, but can you believe it? He said "God Bless you for what you are doing". I was so humbled to hear such words of encouragement from a man who was hungry and couldn't eat. All I could think was I doubt I would have been so kind if I was hungry and cold and couldn't eat. I can get pretty crabby. So please consider taking soup or something soft the next time you go.

Also, we were bombarded by men asking for warm gloves. We really need another 100 minimum. The socks are also in great demand. When you take donations for gloves, try to remind the donors that they prefer gloves, not mittens, because with gloves, it is easier for them to collect bottles, etc.

I finally have to share with you how we ended the day. We drove over to the public library and I went inside and asked the receptionist if she thought there were homeless inside that could use free pizza and hot cocoa. She said that there were "so many" in need sitting alongside the walls of both the 2nd and 3rd floor. I asked if I could invite them for food and she said sure. But then she said "I better check with my supervisor". I was bummed, because I was afraid they would tell me no, when suddenly I heard over the intercom "Greetings, patrons. Our Lady of Consolation Church from Rockford has free pizza and Hot Cocoa out front for those who may need it"!!!!! So I went outside and stood by the vans and wondered if anyone would come, and felt so blessed and tickled when suddenly the doors opened wide and the homeless poured out!!!

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your hearts, your minds and on your lips today and always! Alleluia!

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

2008-12-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

Peace of Christ to you all.

Here is an update on the ministry down on the streets in Grand Rapids.

The Holy Spirit is lighting a fire that is spreading far and wide – in the hearts of our community and in the hearts of our brothers and sisters living in the missions and on the streets in Grand Rapids.

C & D went down last weekend. They said we definitely need to have 4-6 people in each vehicle to make things go smoothly. It didn't take long for a huge crowd to gather for the hot food, drinks, cookies, etc... that they brought. There is a great need for gloves...

This afternoon neighbors and our family drove down to Grand Rapids loaded up with bags of socks, hats, gloves and hot pizza, coffee and water bottles.. Praise God for His providing these things through so many of you! Since we are all a part of the communion of saints, you were also there with us in spirit and prayer. As Mother Theresa always said, “give us hands to serve and a heart full of love.”

We make our plans, but God directs our steps…

One of our first stops was near Mel Trotter where three gentlemen were hanging out. We got out, introduced ourselves and asked if they wanted some pizza or coffee. One of the men, Edward, told us he just received $100 worth of Burger King coupons from his church – the Upper Room Church – and handed out burgers to hungry brothers. Praise God!
We talked awhile and found out that Edward, (he said, “you can call me Angel like a lot of people do) has bone cancer and is just finishing up at the Mel Trotter mission. He is on his way out to California.. He recently was united with his son. He didn’t need anything but a pair of gloves, saying he believes in living out his Christianity – taking no more than the basics he needs and sharing any abundance with others. He’s had his troubles in the past, but has a new lease on life, even though he has terminal cancer. We saw the freedom in his smile and in his words that comes only from Christ. I kept thinking of St. Francis as we were standing there talking to this friend. Edward has his share of problems, but was saying God was bigger than his circumstances. Amen!

Yes, we all need materials to care for ourselves and our families, but possessions sure can weigh us down and give a false sense of security. So many in this country have lots of “things”, but have more poverty of heart than in third-world countries. We told Edward that we’d be praying for him. He said he would be praying for us. I’m not sure who needs the prayers more.
Dear Father, help us to trust in You always, no matter our circumstances.

Next, we decided that Division Street right near Guiding Light would be the best place to stop. As we said before, some of the brothers and sisters we met have a part time job –at best – and just can’t afford housing so they’re living at the missions. The uncertainty of their daily life kept coming up in conversations, but faith in God was just as prevalent. Pizza and coffee were received warmly. We handed out many pairs of thick socks, too!
One woman, Vaulta, was just out walking and stopped by. She is staying at DeGage and has no family left. Her eyes were deep blue, loving and lonely all at once. After talking for a few minutes, we traded a long silent look void of words, but full of feeling.
Times shared like this are what stay with me each day. The eyes, the smiles are burned in my brain.

Another brother, Ivory, is trying to make ends meet with a low income job. He’s going back to college in January to learn new skills in hopes of getting a better job. He talked about his struggles with alcoholism and how Jesus met him in his trials. We both agreed that some of us need to hit a hard spot to turn to the Lord. There’s absolutely no difference between him and I or any of us except that we have family, friends and/or community to help pick us up when we hit a rough spot and he didn’t. His parents are both dead. His sister lives in the south. Pray for Ivory on his journey.

So, most of the brothers and sisters we met have a place indoors to rest their heads, but it’s not permanent. We saw Jesus in each one. Our Savior had no place to call home and rest His head on this earth as He said in Matthew 8:20

The last brother we talked to was sleeping out on the streets until last night when it just got too cold. He is now at Mel Trotter. We stopped by there on our way out of town to drop off new sheets sets and new coats and hats for some of the kids (beautiful donations from friends). Thank God for those working in the missions. Pray for continued compassion and patient endurance for them and all who seek shelter there.

Each one of us today came away with different thoughts and thanksgivings. You, me -we - need to be the hands, the eyes, the feet of Christ - more than for the food and clothing. Please join us in this mission to spread the love of Jesus, whether it's in your presence with us on the streets or in the missions or by sharing blankets, food gift certificates, coffee cups, water, etc...
Also, please pray for discernment on where God wants us to move in helping others - whether downtown GR or in our own community.
We believe a weekday after school or a Saturday would be a better day to go as their are other churches helping out on Sundays.
Please contact me at 915-2414 or through e-mail if you have questions, comments. Thank you, thank you to all of you who have heeded God's call to give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothes to the naked and love to your neighbor!!

I leave you with this special prayer from St.. Faustina:

I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me (...).
O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself , for you can do all things.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your hearts, your minds and on your lips today and always!

Takin' it to the streets...the beginning

2008-11-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hello, brothers and sisters.

Peace to you on this beautiful Monday morning!

I am writing this e-mail on behalf of our homeless brothers and sisters in downtown Grand Rapids. Jesus is on the streets. Meet him there.

Our mission is to share the love of Jesus through our smiles, handshakes and listening ears while handing out hot food and needed clothing items.

This past weekend, inspired by the Holy Spirit, some friends and I began handing out hot food, drink and warm clothes to the homeless near Division Street in downtown Grand Rapids.
We bought some $5 pizzas at Little Caesar’s, hamburgers from Burger King, bottled water and handed out about 20 coats and sweatshirts and a few hats and gloves. Most asked for gloves and hats.
We can barely put into words the time we spent with the folks there. We talked some and listened a lot and saw such love, longing, gratitude in their eyes. It really was like looking into the eyes of Christ.

Just one story - the first gentleman that we came upon, Bert, was going through the garbage on a street off Division. Our hearts sunk and soared and we couldn't wait to help him.
We drove up, said hello and asked if he would like some hot pizza and water. He said, “sure” calmly, but with such fervency also. We told him our names and asked his, gave him half a pizza and some water. He asked if we had gloves, so we gave him a pair that was a little small, but he didn’t mind. His eyes were so kind. He said he didn’t need a coat or blanket. We bid him a good day all in the Name of the Lord and said we’ll be back again. He didn’t take his eyes off of us as we drove away.
None of us could say whether it was disbelief, thankfulness, or what on his face, but we know the hand of God was in every moment.

Yes, we know, we know…
There are a great many needs for the homeless and less fortunate. There are shelters and soup kitchens downtown to take care of some of this. But these places are only open at certain times. If people have been drinking or using drugs, they cannot get a bed for the night. One man, Doug, told us that Mel Trotters is a little more forgiving in this area sometimes. He said he recently lost his job, his apartment and got beat up one night. He said he’s pretty sure he can pull himself out of things, but that a few of his friends are really down low where they probably won’t be able to. He was sleeping in a shelter last night. His friends were sleeping right there on the sidewalk. There are only 68 beds in one place, so not everyone who needs a bed gets one.

The bottom line is that everyone one of these men and women – and a child – that we met are children of God in need of substance and a loving smile any time, especially when the shelters are closed. Whether they have a problem with drinking or drugs doesn’t negate the fact that they are people with feelings and needs.

We are just striving to meet the most basic needs of these brothers and sisters while building relationships. Perhaps, God will give them extra hope through our visits.
It’s all in God’s hands. He is directing our steps.

Just one of the things that we noticed was how caring each person was for their friends. If they didn’t need a blanket, they said someone else probably needed it. Doug wanted to make sure his friends got some pizza and water and told us they needed a hat. There was no greed from them, which was pretty amazing to see when we think of what we want when we want it and remember our grumblings.

So now you are probably asking – “Where do I come in?”
While Todd and I can provide some of our finances, we do not have all we need to keep this going week after week.
Big needs for them with winter coming on – GLOVES, HATS, SCARVES, THICK SOCKS, SLEEPING BAGS
One guy needs a coat because the one he was wearing was all but falling apart. We didn’t have a 3X and that’s what he needed. This guy did get a new coat as of 12/1
Everything should be at least a large because they layer clothes.
The Salvation Army has a $.49 sale on yellow tag items on Saturdays from 5-9pm. I was able to get 8 coats and some sweaters for $6!! They did not have any gloves, hats or scarves.

Please consider dropping off or mailing us gift certificates for Little Caesar’s (its close by Division and inexpensive to feed many), cases of bottled water, gift cards for SAVE-A LOT where we can get things inexpensively and make up hot meals at home to take, Styrofoam cups with lids for hot coffee and hot chocolate.
Even if you can only donate a pair of gloves and a hat, this will be greatly appreciated by someone on the street. One pair of gloves is one person’s extra warmth and a ray of love/hope for them.
If you would like to join us on the streets, we welcome this also. We only go during the daylight hours and there will always be at least one man with us for safety reasons.

Side note: the missions are always in need of laundry soap. They allow the guests to use the laundry facilities. Plus, the missions do laundry of sheets and other things daily. They are always in need of twin sheets for guest’s beds.
We could drop off this kind of stuff if you wanted to donate it.

May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ reign in your hearts, your minds and on your lips today and always!