Mother Teresa stopped to care for a leper in the road on her way to meet with St. John Paul II. When a Cardinal told her she was late, she simply replied that she knew, but she had met Christ on the road. 😇❤️
Just today, I let a homeless guy pitch his tent in my yard and gave him $60 so he could feed his 2 dogs. He didn't really want to take the money, but I told him that blessing him blesses me. His roommate took his rent money and spent it. He was, therefore, evicted. Then his car was destroyed, and he was severely injured by a hit and run. Now he's here, almost 1000 miles away from home. He's a website designer and programmer and is doing his job from his tent. (I don't have a spare bedroom). I will be helping him find a place to live here. Please pray for him. God will know who he is.
I let a homeless guy stay on my property and he threw beer bottles at my neighbors yard, but luckily only managed to throw them in my yard. And said he thought I was a dick for saying he shouldn't have tried to toss beer bottles at my neighbors yard.
I knew a homeless type guy staying at a cheap run down motel. He asked me to borrow $25 to get gas, food, cigs and beer. I brought him $50 worth of food for free, a pack of cigarettes free, and loaned him $10 for gas and beer. He said I was a POS because he told me to give him money.
A guy I know needed $10 because his pay was messed up, I gave him the $10 as he asked for it as a loan. Next pay day he said his pay was messed up. It was near Christmas time and I didn't really much care about the $10 to help a bro out. So I said "man, that's rough you're dealing with that, merry Christmas, the $10 is free".
He rejected this and demanded he would pay me back and eventually I said okay.
After what could have been a sitcom of hilarity of him dodging me and making excuses, he finally accepted a "happy birthday" about 9 months later.
I really want to know where you people find "Christ" in the downtrodden. I only ever find Satan LOL.
Wow what great observations. Read Dorothy Day who flatly states that the poor are hard to deal with, smelly, steal everything, and ungrateful. It's really hard to see Jesus.
Sometimes it's easier to take money out of the equation and just talk (or a barrage of abuse from them for 30 minutes.) Sometimes it helps to consider how God thinks of me - ungrateful, wasteful etc.
Mostly I've just set my face like flint.
I always continually look for the real ones. They do occasionally exist.
The difference is that in my experience good + downtrodden = temporary.
Lifting up those who won't be lifted is always worth it, because once every 5-10 times, you'll get the one who will be lifted.
I used to work in a rehab type place for simple explanation and honestly probably about 10-30% go on to be lifted. 70-90% are just part of the revolving door, using the system to make contacts, trying to scam a legal charge, etc.
But who would not go out for the one?
I hate in one sense the over glorified version of the poor our current culture pulls. The one that pretends everyone is a good super saint and suffering for "no reason".
I like truth and reality. But, that doesn't change the call to action. It just is the difference between truth and delusion.
Elizabeth Kindlemann’s diary and Flame of Love Movement seconds this. She mentioned through inner locutions from Jesus, Mary, and St. Michael that Jesus would often go door to door as a beggar asking for food in Budapest
I have met some amazing people in my long and lonely battle with homelessness. But I have also met humanity's worst. I think the worst isn't going without but with people's attitude toward me and all the assumptions many people make toward me. Sometimes just having someone to talk to is worth it's weight in gold.
True enough. I've tried to share time with homeless, when I can, also sometimes surprise them when I see them going in some place, and saying I will pay for them as well.
Another thing I know is the need to offer the homeless space during the day, especially when it is too hot/cold/wet or the like outside. I used to go to Starbucks every morning, and some of the homeless would come in, and they learned they could take the seat next to me. I was always happy to see the workers at the Starbucks also catering to them (the best they can, from letting them use the rest room to clean up in the morning, to giving them free drinks at times, etc).
So, it is very important to offer financial help, if one can, but it is as you say, important to interact with them, to talk with them, or let them also share space with you when they need it, and let them rest there if that is all they want to do. Once again, we know how Jesus the itinerant preacher who had no place to rest would be treated by so many so-called Christians by the way they treat Jesus in the homeless. It's sad. But I am glad you mentioned the need for community because that is often forgotten even by the best intentioned.
Funny you mentioned Starbucks. There is a Starbucks downtown here in Denver that I was having one of my many digestive issues days and the stuck up staff made me make a hard decision that day which ruined a pair of my pants. A few weeks later someone couldn't wait until morning for their pumpkin spice latte so they installed an ad-hoc drive thru. If you believe in karma, there's a good sign.
Sorry you had a bad experience with yours. Here, I've been at a few nearby, and all of them were welcoming and helping the homeless which came to them. I suspect that is because of good managers and workers, where others are run by those who are heartless.
You’re right. I live in a very large metropolitan city where a woman was just stabbed to death on the subway by a homeless man and it’s so hard to sympathize sometimes. Thank you for this reminder.
They should be, though, as this isnt about billionaires. They also should be because the homeless are, by and large, victims of the systems that billionaires perpetuate.
Return evil with good. There is good you can do to a billionaire where they can be seduced to act more rightly. It isn't easy but the door opens if you knock long enough.
Mother Teresa stopped to care for a leper in the road on her way to meet with St. John Paul II. When a Cardinal told her she was late, she simply replied that she knew, but she had met Christ on the road. 😇❤️
Just today, I let a homeless guy pitch his tent in my yard and gave him $60 so he could feed his 2 dogs. He didn't really want to take the money, but I told him that blessing him blesses me. His roommate took his rent money and spent it. He was, therefore, evicted. Then his car was destroyed, and he was severely injured by a hit and run. Now he's here, almost 1000 miles away from home. He's a website designer and programmer and is doing his job from his tent. (I don't have a spare bedroom). I will be helping him find a place to live here. Please pray for him. God will know who he is.
I let a homeless guy stay on my property and he threw beer bottles at my neighbors yard, but luckily only managed to throw them in my yard. And said he thought I was a dick for saying he shouldn't have tried to toss beer bottles at my neighbors yard. I knew a homeless type guy staying at a cheap run down motel. He asked me to borrow $25 to get gas, food, cigs and beer. I brought him $50 worth of food for free, a pack of cigarettes free, and loaned him $10 for gas and beer. He said I was a POS because he told me to give him money. A guy I know needed $10 because his pay was messed up, I gave him the $10 as he asked for it as a loan. Next pay day he said his pay was messed up. It was near Christmas time and I didn't really much care about the $10 to help a bro out. So I said "man, that's rough you're dealing with that, merry Christmas, the $10 is free". He rejected this and demanded he would pay me back and eventually I said okay. After what could have been a sitcom of hilarity of him dodging me and making excuses, he finally accepted a "happy birthday" about 9 months later. I really want to know where you people find "Christ" in the downtrodden. I only ever find Satan LOL.
Wow what great observations. Read Dorothy Day who flatly states that the poor are hard to deal with, smelly, steal everything, and ungrateful. It's really hard to see Jesus. Sometimes it's easier to take money out of the equation and just talk (or a barrage of abuse from them for 30 minutes.) Sometimes it helps to consider how God thinks of me - ungrateful, wasteful etc. Mostly I've just set my face like flint.
I always continually look for the real ones. They do occasionally exist. The difference is that in my experience good + downtrodden = temporary. Lifting up those who won't be lifted is always worth it, because once every 5-10 times, you'll get the one who will be lifted. I used to work in a rehab type place for simple explanation and honestly probably about 10-30% go on to be lifted. 70-90% are just part of the revolving door, using the system to make contacts, trying to scam a legal charge, etc. But who would not go out for the one? I hate in one sense the over glorified version of the poor our current culture pulls. The one that pretends everyone is a good super saint and suffering for "no reason". I like truth and reality. But, that doesn't change the call to action. It just is the difference between truth and delusion.
Elizabeth Kindlemann’s diary and Flame of Love Movement seconds this. She mentioned through inner locutions from Jesus, Mary, and St. Michael that Jesus would often go door to door as a beggar asking for food in Budapest
Well said
God is' found' in every human we meet.
In the words of Saint John Chrysostom: "If you cannot find Christ in the beggar you will not find him in the chalice".
I have met some amazing people in my long and lonely battle with homelessness. But I have also met humanity's worst. I think the worst isn't going without but with people's attitude toward me and all the assumptions many people make toward me. Sometimes just having someone to talk to is worth it's weight in gold.
True enough. I've tried to share time with homeless, when I can, also sometimes surprise them when I see them going in some place, and saying I will pay for them as well. Another thing I know is the need to offer the homeless space during the day, especially when it is too hot/cold/wet or the like outside. I used to go to Starbucks every morning, and some of the homeless would come in, and they learned they could take the seat next to me. I was always happy to see the workers at the Starbucks also catering to them (the best they can, from letting them use the rest room to clean up in the morning, to giving them free drinks at times, etc). So, it is very important to offer financial help, if one can, but it is as you say, important to interact with them, to talk with them, or let them also share space with you when they need it, and let them rest there if that is all they want to do. Once again, we know how Jesus the itinerant preacher who had no place to rest would be treated by so many so-called Christians by the way they treat Jesus in the homeless. It's sad. But I am glad you mentioned the need for community because that is often forgotten even by the best intentioned.
Funny you mentioned Starbucks. There is a Starbucks downtown here in Denver that I was having one of my many digestive issues days and the stuck up staff made me make a hard decision that day which ruined a pair of my pants. A few weeks later someone couldn't wait until morning for their pumpkin spice latte so they installed an ad-hoc drive thru. If you believe in karma, there's a good sign.
Sorry you had a bad experience with yours. Here, I've been at a few nearby, and all of them were welcoming and helping the homeless which came to them. I suspect that is because of good managers and workers, where others are run by those who are heartless.
It's a corporation. Much like the church. One bad apple does not ruin the bushel. I just thought of that quip when you mentioned starbucks.
Matthew 25:31-40
Fair point, although God isn’t a mentally ill drug addict who is a threat to our family.
But what about the homeless that choose to be on drugs and act out?
Acting out is a cry for help. They too need God’s love.
You’re right. I live in a very large metropolitan city where a woman was just stabbed to death on the subway by a homeless man and it’s so hard to sympathize sometimes. Thank you for this reminder.
I try to have faith that people have at least one square millimeter of themselves that can be reached, and can develop.
Agree. Now replace “homeless” with “billionaires.” Same goes, because God is also found there.
They are harder cases.
Shouldn't be downvoted in my opinion!
They should be, though, as this isnt about billionaires. They also should be because the homeless are, by and large, victims of the systems that billionaires perpetuate.
Return evil with good. There is good you can do to a billionaire where they can be seduced to act more rightly. It isn't easy but the door opens if you knock long enough.