Catholic Faith Space
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Back in July, I participated in something called the PIT count. PIT stands for “Point-in-Time” and it is a count of both sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night. HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) requires that this count be done every January, but Wisconsin also does it in July in order to get a more accurate count, as more people are likely to seek some sort of shelter indoors in January in WI due to the extreme cold. I was assigned to the downtown Green Bay area with a group of three others and was not quite prepared for the number of people my group and I would encounter that night. From the hours of 11:00 PM- 4:00 AM, we drove around and walked to different areas to find as many people as we could. We collected some data, provided water/snacks and some other basic items, and just talked to each person, meeting them where they were at and in the places they likely regularly spent their nights. And in the process, I encountered Christ.
In Brown County, the downtown Green Bay area is one of the areas where the highest number of people experiencing homelessness can be found. The first area on our route we went to that night was by St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. As we pulled up, there were probably about 20 people gathered on the front steps of the church, some sitting down, some laying down already trying to sleep, and others standing at the bottom of the steps. As my group members and I split up so that we could talk with each person, more people made their way to this area in front of the church, getting ready to settle there for the night. At that moment, I was struck by the reality of homelessness. I was stretched out of my comfort zone. As we went throughout the night and talked to the people we found, I realized that every single person has a different story. Whether those we encountered were by churches, in parks, in vehicles, under bridges, near businesses, or elsewhere, I was reminded that regardless of how they ended up on the streets, they each have dignity and worth given to them by God that cannot be taken away, no matter what the world may think and say about them. Maybe they developed addictions to drugs or alcohol, racked up debt, committed crimes and had nowhere to go when released from jail, were fleeing domestic violence situations, have a mental illness, made poor life choices, and the list goes on. The thing we need to remember is that those who are experiencing homelessness are not defined by their choices or situations. They are defined by a Father who created them, loves them, and knows their hearts, and they often just want to be seen. Even if we fail to understand these situations or choices of those on the streets, it doesn’t change their value or the fact that they are created in the image and likeness of God. I was reminded that it’s not our place to criticize or condemn those experiencing homelessness, but rather, to love them as Jesus does and to serve them in whatever ways possible. It’s easy to look the other way and pretend the homeless don’t exist, as we live our comfortable lives with everything we need and much more. But Jesus commands us to serve those in need, because when we serve them, we serve Him. That night in July, as I looked into the eyes of the people we encountered on the streets, I knew in those moments, I was looking into the eyes of Christ. That night, Jesus broke open my heart just a little bit more, so that I could learn to love more and see those who are homeless with a heart of compassion rather than judgment. This has been a work in progress for me, as there is always room to grow. That night during the PIT count, I encountered many more people on the streets than I thought we would. The number was overwhelming. And in those encounters, I encountered Christ Himself, asking me, “Can you see Me in them? Will you love them as I do?” May we all ask Jesus to expand our hearts for people experiencing homelessness and reflect on how we can love them and serve them better. Jesus, thank you for our lives that are often very comfortable and filled with much more than we need. Help us to step away from that comfort at times to encounter “the least of our brothers and sisters.” Remove our hardened hearts that are full of judgments and criticisms. Give us hearts filled with love and compassion for those who are homeless and give us eyes that see You in them. May we never become blind to those in need. Amen.
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A few days ago, I was reading an article about the physical effects of gratitude. Among some of the many benefits of the practice of gratitude are lower levels of stress, lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and an increase in sleep quality. At first, it seemed kind of crazy to me that something as simple as being grateful can actually impact us physically. But after thinking about it for a little bit, it made sense. We were literally created to worship and praise God- that involves thanking Him for all of the blessings He has given us.
Gratitude helps us to see everything in our lives as a gift from God. It also helps us to depend more fully on God because we realize that every good thing in our life is from Him, and without Him, we can do nothing. Gratitude is not just saying “thank you” every once in a while. It is a disposition that involves acknowledging all of the gifts and blessings in our lives and living lives that glorify and praise God. Living with gratitude means that we will focus more on our blessings than on any problems or challenges we may be facing. It also will help us to look differently at these problems. We will be able to see the good that can come from them and how God may be calling us to draw closer to Him during these times. Gratitude helps us shift our focus from anything we lack to the abundance of blessings that we have. The moment we wake up, we must recognize that every breath we take is a gift from God. His love for us holds us in existence and we need to live our lives with a deep sense of thankfulness for the gift of our lives and for all of the graces He bestows on us. As people across the country gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, many will express what they are thankful for. But many will have an attitude of thankfulness for just that one day, and then go back to living in ways in which they fail to recognize their blessings. May the gratitude and thankfulness we show on Thanksgiving overflow into our everyday lives, helping us all to live with hearts full of gratitude always. The summer before my sophomore year of college, I started experiencing a health issue. Without going into too much detail, I will just say that it involved a lot of blood and a bit of discomfort. After just a few doctor visits and different tests taken and not yet having a diagnosis, I continued googling symptoms on my own. I looked at sources such as WebMD, and naturally, thought the worst. That same summer, a Christian song, “Thy Will” by Hillary Scott was popular, as it had been released earlier in the year. When it came on the radio in my car time after time, I would just cry. I remember thinking, “what if I’m dying at 19?” Of course, it was an extreme and dramatic overreaction. But the beautiful lyrics of that song became a real and raw prayer, as I prayed to accept God’s will. It was really the first time that I truly surrendered myself to God.
Many of us have believed, at one time or another, that we were in control of our lives. We get to make our own decisions, decide what we want to do and when we want to do it. And with this mindset often comes fear, worry, and hopelessness. We put our trust and faith in ourselves, rather than on God, then face disappointment when things don’t go our way. But everything changes when we place our trust and faith in God, who loves us and wants only good for us. Everything changes when we surrender ourselves to Him. As one line in the song says, “sometimes I gotta stop, remember that you’re God and I am not.” We need to always remember who is in control. Surrender is not a one time thing. It is a continual, lifelong process that takes a lot of work. It is a choice that we need to make, over and over again. To surrender means to put everything into the hands of Jesus and just trust. When we surrender ourselves and our whole lives to Jesus, it means that we do not have to worry about what may come our way, because we know that He is leading the way and will not abandon us. We will not always be able to understand what He is doing, but we can trust that He is good. A great prayer for each of us to pray daily, from the surrender novena, is Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything.” May we all embrace this powerful line and pray daily to accept God’s will. During the homily at mass last Wednesday, the priest said something along the lines of “it is through the cross that we can move forward.” This profound statement reminded me of a time that God revealed this truth to me. Right at the beginning of my dad’s funeral mass, as my siblings and I stood alongside the casket, the funeral home director handed me a wooden cross to place on top of the casket. At that moment, I knew that the cross was ultimately the reason we were there. Because it is what led to the resurrection and the promise of eternal life. As mass moved forward, it was a reminder that Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross is what allows us to get through each moment, but especially the ones that are the most difficult and challenging. It is only because of the cross, that our lives and any suffering that comes with it, make sense.
Jesus invites each one of us to pick up our crosses and follow Him. But how often do we let our fears, weaknesses, and pride stop us? Maybe we are tempted to stay right where we are, or to try to run in the opposite direction. We often try to look for a way out or to avoid anything that makes us uncomfortable. But this will not lead us closer to Christ and move us forward. The only way we can get through those discomforts and challenges is by focusing on Jesus and uniting our sufferings to His suffering on the cross. The challenges and discomforts we may encounter on a regular basis, even the smallest occurrences that we may see as inconveniences, can be offered up to God. He can bring good out of every moment and provide an abundance of grace. As disciples of Christ, we are promised to experience rejection, pain, discomfort. But, we are also promised that we will not walk through these experiences alone. Any rejection, pain, discomfort, and suffering we face, Christ faces with us, because he experienced all of those things while on the cross. When we wake up each day, unsure of what the day and week ahead will bring, we can be assured that Jesus will carry us through it. When we are uncomfortable or facing a challenge, may we remember that every one of these moments is an opportunity to deepen our faith and grow closer to Jesus. Truly, it is only by the cross that we can move forward. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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