Thanksgiving for the Poverty Stricken - You're Invited

I met a guy recently who gets up at 4:30 a.m. to catch a bus so he can make it to his part-time job and be there on time by 7 a.m. He had rode his bike to get where he was going today in 27 degree wet icy conditions. He stopped at the food bank on his way home today to get some groceries because he is broke. While he was there he spotted some nice warm coats that would be just right for the winter conditions. This is just one example of thousands of people in need. Is this the country that is blessed? I think we are responsible to help pull someone out of the depths of hell on earth while we're here sucking air.

Poverty in United States is a moral and social crisis that threatens the health and well-being of our country. With record foreclosures, job losses, natural disasters, and family breakups, it has become time to renew our commitment to action on behalf of the poor and vulnerable. The food banks are in need of more donations of food and money, we can clean out our closets to donate warm winter clothing or buy a special gift for that children gift tree at church.

Just think, if every person in the USA who is blessed with the gift of a warm home, a job, and food on their table gave just a few dollars or some can goods to make someones life a little better this Thanksgiving, what a difference it would make.

Make a commitment today to get involved this Thanksgiving by giving or volunteering your time, and thank God you are blessed enough to do so. I'll start tomorrow, how about you?

Have a blessed day, Mike

Luke’s Gospel - Very Instrumental In My Life

Luke’s Gospel has a particular appeal to me because of his balance. It appears to be written to all, including men, women, rich, poor, lonely, Greeks, Roman, and Gentiles, as well as, sinners and the socially outcasts. Some say Luke was not an eye witness as a third generation Christian but I believe he had better writing skills to include beautiful language, grammar, and vocabulary. In my opinion Luke introduced the gospel with more joy, compassion, and love, because Luke’s Jesus’ was very compassionate and forgiving. His focus on the poor and outcasts explain why some call it the social workers gospel. Luke shows much more healing and forgiveness from Jesus then the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. He also makes it very clear that salvation and the kingdom of God are for the asking. Luke wants his readers to plenty of the joy, trust, faith, hope, endurance, expectation, and exultation of those who respond to the faithful God’s actions in their life.

Most theologians say, Luke’s sources were Mark, Q, and L. I am a great fan of his writings that include the Parables of Jesus. Although his writing depended on earlier accounts, Luke re-worked them with better literary structure and put them a more orderly fashion.

Luke’s Gospel has been very instrumental in my life thus far. I can relate to the Parables and often put myself in the place of the prodigal son, the blind man, or anyone of his characters. The lessons have opened my mind and heart and brought my on-going conversion to new heights. Each and every parable teaches me that you must be genuine in your faith and repent for forgiveness of your sins to seek the salvation of Jesus Christ. Luke talked about the faithful servants in 12:35-45, that we must safeguard what has been entrusted to us to care for until His second coming. In other words, Jesus expects us to carry on the tradition of compassion, love and charity to our neighbors.

My spiritual life is useless unless I expose to the world that 20,000 to 25,000 children a day are dying of starvation, numerous children are being kidnapped each day as slaves to armies and as sex slaves in Africa and other countries. Every 6 seconds a child in this world is dying of starvation. This insanity must stop. This is not the way the world is supposed to be.

Luke‘s Gospel is compassionate and loving in today’s world. In my lay ministry, I would find it the most helpful to use his stories to ease the pain of those that I am in contact with. He shows such compassion, joy and love from Jesus that most people who are suffering would believe his stories as I have.

God must know that each and every one of us is responsible to take part in this journey to help the starving and oppressed. Hopefully, He will use us in an extraordinary way to get this message out to the world that we have a responsibility to feed the children and the oppressed.

Almsgiving makes one clean before God. We cannot earn our way to heaven. However, we do have a responsibility to serve our neighbor and follow the law of loving our neighbor as ourselves. My spiritual life is to include the poor, helpless, and the outcasts. I am from that group as a child and I will always have a place in my heart and soul for the needy. I pray that God will never let me forget where I came from and that He will give me the strength to help my fellow man and women.

This Gospel begins and ends with the holy city and the Temple. Isn’t that what happens to us? I pray that each day we as Christians learn that the gospel is intended to teach us that God intends on us to pay attention to our social sin for what we fail to do, in addition to the sin we commit each day. Our world needs compassion, love, and charity to fulfill the kingdom of God.

When Mother Theresa was asked what we can do to help the problem in Calcutta, she responded that your Calcutta is down the street from where you live in your home town. Go do something in your own Calcutta. As I discern, I pray that God will guide me in the right direction to help my neighbors in this world.

Our Purpose: Love Your Neighbor, Help the Marginalized

“The Judgment of Nations” in Matthew 25:31, is more eschatological (end times) than a parable as sometimes described by theologians and those in ministry. It appears to be describing a real future event that contains the Christology of Jesus’ last judgment of all people. With titles like son of man, shepherd, king, Lord, and terms like sitting on the throne, servant, power and glory, this passage has been interpreted as Christology of Jesus. Using the form criticism and historical method most theologians will agree that this piece of scripture makes for interesting discussion that leads us to loving your neighbor, taking action out of love and understanding our purpose as Christians.

I would like to focus on a few verses and terms of this chapter to illustrate how this affects my daily life and all God’s people in these contemporary times. The sheep and the goat’s metaphor illustrate the good and the evil. The right hand is favored over the left side. And “the least of these” represents people in general. Scholars are somewhat divided on the “all the nations” referred to in this reading. I have taken the side that all nations mean all people.

I have had an opportunity to involve myself in various ministry functions over the past seven years consisting of Charity work, RCIA team, hospital visits, visiting youth shelters, serving at homeless shelters and various other projects. Over this seven year period I have become called to learn more about the areas that Jesus refers to in this gospel, food, drink, welcome, clothing, nursing care and visitation. These six works of mercy are really only illustrative examples of what the passage refers to. The bottom line to me means “love your neighbor”. Whether it’s helping someone change a flat tire or providing basic care for a sick person. The kinds of mercy that Jesus rewards here are within reach of every person.

Reflecting on this gospel has made me aware of the seriousness of the sins of omission. How I have extended love and care for the weakest and most helpless among us is how I have treated Christ. The poor not only include the economically deprived, it also includes all those who suffer oppression and powerlessness. Although, I have a long way to go, I have become an advocate of stewardship as a result of my studies. Parts of my efforts have included small donations to (CRS) Catholic Relief Services. I have also begun writing letters or emails to senators and representatives of Congress on the poor, needy, starving people around the world. Each day I am becoming more motivated and called to take action.

Now as I revisit this passage of the “judgment of nations” I become very uncomfortable about my efforts that I have made thus far. I can do more. I realize that a preferential option of the poor is not an option, it is a mandate. As a disciple of Jesus I need to take action out of love for my neighbors versus worrying about judgment described in this reading. The catch twenty two that most people, including myself get into is how my little contribution can make a difference. I have decided that I can make a difference. Twenty Dollars donated would provide a day’s supply of emergency food for 80-100 malnourished children in Sudan. $500.00 will supply a well for clean drinking water. A visit to a nursing home to offer a reading, the Eucharist or just a friendly smile can help add life to these sometimes forgotten neighbors. Whether I support CRS or my local food bank, visit a hospital or write to my congress Representative, I am standing up for justice and doing something.

I can strengthen the community as a whole by assisting those who are most vulnerable. I need to make it a habit of looking at the world from the perspective of the marginalized. This will require not only continuing to do my little part to share my time, talent, and treasure, (stewardship) with others but to also evangelize my daily contacts with the same enthusiasm and determination that Jesus is promoting in his teaching. Evangelizing and stewardship are the two most misunderstood ministries in the Catholic faith. Maybe my enthusiasm toward these areas will help bring them to the forefront in this blog.

In the developing world 1.2 billion people are living below the international poverty line of earning less than $1.00 per day. It is a sin that 24,000 (plus or minus) people die each day of hunger and hunger related causes. That is one person every 3.6 seconds who was made in the image of God and destroyed by the sin of omission. I must continue to ask, why are people starving around the world? Why is the USA, the richest nation in the world, allowing its people to live in poverty, and to be homeless in this land of opportunity?

Part of the message in Matthew's reading is not just to do each of these acts of mercy, but to preach this gospel message to others until all have heard it. I can never stop questioning an oppressive system that forces billions of our brothers and sisters in our country and around the world to live in poverty. I can never again sit back and accept the fact that literally thousands of defenseless unborn babies are being slaughtered by abortion. Nor can I sit back any longer and live with the fact that over 25 million people have now died of AIDS, which is senseless. Life and dignity of the human person needs to be the moral vision of our society.

My spiritual journey over the past seven years has lead me in various directions and given me a clearer understanding of my obligations and gifts as a disciple of Christ. Regardless of where I land in this journey I will have fire in my heart for those who need to be loved. I pray that through this blog and the efforts of Christians everywhere we can make a difference to stop this insanity. Peace in Christ! Mike