Dr. Ellert Rules!

A family medicine "man for all seasons" and a "physician's physician." Those are the words his medical colleagues use when referring to William Ellert, M.D. But to the homeless people on the streets of Phoenix, he is a compassionate and high-quality caregiver. It is all of those qualities, however, that got Dr. Ellert selected as the 2009 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Family Physician of the Year.

The 2009 Family Physician of the Year, William Ellert, M.D., of Phoenix, is a passionate educator and advocate for the homeless. A strong advocate for the homeless, this former Franciscan brother provides care for as many as possible of the 13,000 homeless men and women living on the streets and in the desert valleys around Phoenix.

Ellert grew up in Avilla, Ind., a small town in the rural Midwest. "In … Avilla, there weren't a lot of homeless people," says Ellert. "My family was very fortunate, and we traveled a lot. Seeing homeless people and recognizing their life was much in contrast to the life that I was blessed with was something that always pulled at my heart strings."

Ellert got his start in health care at age 16 when he worked as an orderly in a nursing home in Avilla that was operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. He was so impressed by their kindness and compassion, as well as their personal approach to health care, that he joined the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular two years later and found his vocation and his mission with the homeless.

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The Greatest Poverty is in our own Homes

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” Mother Teresa

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Lead your People on the Pathway Home, Lord

Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep ... I am the good shepherd.” John 10: 7 & 11

Jesus is the Good Shepherd that leads each of us home. All of us are lost, all of us homeless and all are sheep without a shepherd, that is until we come home to Christ. Let us pray:

R Lead your people on the pathway home, Lord!

For moms, dads, families and workers who are despondent, crushed and broken because of lost jobs and the confusing times of today’s economy: R

For children and teenagers who have abandoned home and family because they felt there were no other options: R

For families who live together but do not pray and play together: R

For those who have been left homeless because of war and natural disasters: R

May the Lord our Shepherd, lead all of us to our heavenly home! Amen.

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Somerset Mansion

Regarding the post, Eternal Hollywood Hills, Tuesday, January 9, 2009, a reader writes in the following ... "[Many years ago] My husband and I were riding through an area that was beautiful (near our home in Somerset, NJ). One of the houses we passed was a new Victorian style house that I thought was so beautiful. As I was looking at it and thought to myself: Gosh, how pretty - thinking I wished I had a house like that. In the very next instant I "heard" in my mind/head: 'I am preparing a mansion for you.' I was surprised at the thought and a day or two after as I changed the page on my calendar (which my daughter gave me with psalms or scripture readings) at my desk at work, I read what you have written below: 'In my Father's house ...' That floored me and I knew it was God talking to me that no matter what I may think is beautiful here, nothing will compare with it in His Heavenly home. I still have that page - I kept it with another page that was an answer to something that was bothering me and found the page the next day at work. I read those pages every day to remind myself of what happened and to not worry. God works in so many ways to let us know He is there with us, doesn't He?" Rose D.
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It all comes from People

Today’s soggy and cold StreetReach was a strong reminder that the Lord’s warm mercy and compassion all comes from people. It only took three of us just under four hours to deliver sack lunches (photo), water and spiritual supplies to more than 125 homeless men and women living under bridges and in alleyways. However, it took more than two-dozen people behind the scenes for two weeks of coordination to make it happen. Today we remember as many as we can and acknowledge those who are unnamed but helped in some way.

We remember with 5 stars …

***** Valerie who made a special trip to the church office to drop off a warm winter coat to be given out.
***** Peter who left Phoenix quite early in the morning to be in Los Angeles in time to serve.
***** Carol who gave her last $20 to help buy hamburgers.
***** Cecil who consistently gives his time and his wallet for years now.
***** Pam and Joel for their direct deposit to help out.
***** Traci and the gang at Starbucks for all their donations and help.
***** Carlos and the gang at Noah’s bagels for their generosity.
***** The Carl's Junior owner - Jim and his entire staff for their awesome preparation and discount for 120 Carl's Cheese Burgers.
***** The many families at St. Paul the Apostle that donated water bottles and 100s of miniature shampoos and soaps.
***** The generous mom and her 3 children that own a country highway fruit stand and who donated two crates of fresh oranges.
***** Juanito who has been helping for more than 2 years, and yet he himself has been homeless for more than 9 years.

Thank you for the inspiration! We give thanks …

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At the Last Judgment – Mercy will be exalted over Condemnation for those who have lived a life of Mercy and Compassion – Part II

by
Saint Leo the Great

Continued from Wednesday, January 21, 2009 ... Since only the hardest heart would fail to be moved by any misery at all among those in distress, and since someone who has the means but does not help the afflicted must be considered as unjust as the one who crushes the weak, what hope remains for sinners who do not even show mercy “for the sake of obtaining it themselves”? …

Those who are not good to others are bad to themselves, and those who do not come to the aid of others as best they can do harm to their own souls. Rich and poor have one and the same nature. Among other aspects of human frailty belongs the fact that no boon of well-being remains safe, since everyone ought to fear what anyone at all is capable of falling into.

All human beings, regardless of who they happen to be, should come to terms with the fact that they have a mortal nature subject to change – and usually for the worse. In view of this shared condition, let them have sympathy toward their own kind.

Saint Leo the Great died in 461. He was Bishop of Rome and leader of the Church from 440 – 461. He is also a doctor of the Church.
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At the Last Judgment – Mercy will be exalted over Condemnation for those who have lived a life of Mercy and Compassion – Part I

by
Saint Leo the Great

We have learned from divine precepts, dearly beloved, as well as from things laid down by the apostles, that every human being situated among the hazards of this life must seek the mercy of God by being merciful. What hope would lift up the fallen, what medicine heal the wounded, if almsgiving did not remit faults, and needs of the poor did not become remedies for sin? So by saying, “Blessed are the merciful, for God will have mercy upon them,” the Lord made it clear that the entire scale on which he is going to judge the whole world when he appears in his majesty would be tilted while hanging from the following balance: Only the quality of good works directed toward the destitute would determine the sentence …

What deeds will not be brought out at that time? What hidden things will not be disclosed? What consciences will not lie open? No one then “will glory in having a pure heart or in being unstained from sin.” But since “mercy will be exalted over condemnation” and gifts of clemency will surpass any just compensation, all the lives led by mortals and all different kinds of actions will be appraised under the aspect of a single rule. No charges would be brought up where, in the acknowledgement of the Creator, works of compassion have been found …

Saint Leo the Great died in 461. He was Bishop of Rome and leader of the Church from 440 – 461. He is also a doctor of the Church.

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"Eternal Hollywood Hills"

The hope of the poor and the homeless is in the promise of Christ when he said, “In my Father’s house there are many mansions. I go there to prepare a special place for you. If it were not so, you know I would have told you.” (Jn. 14:2) Those who are homeless now can look forward to an eternity of “homefullness.” How encouraging is that?

On the other hand, how discouraging is this? What about those unrepentant evil doers who experience wealth, power, control and “homefullness” in this life? “Woe to you” Jesus says … “You have already received your reward.” (Lk. 6:23-26) Since the Lord will show mercy to the poor and homeless and they will receive mansions in eternity. On the other hand, what will be the reward of the unrepentant rich and powerful? Ironically, it could quite possibly be an eternity of homelessness. Imagine - an eternity of never finding rest for one’s soul; endless frustration, emptiness and abandonment that will never be satisfied; desperation and anguish without end for those who have shown no mercy in this life and who have not shared their wealth with the poor.

Because to such poor in spirit belong the kingdom of God, who then is really the rich person that we see here and now in this life? Who is actually wealthy among us? Is it the person temporarily living in a mansion on a Beverly Hills-top or a temporary poor beggar waiting to occupy a mansion in “Eternal Hollywood Hills”? Welcome to the confusing ways and paradoxes of the Kingdom of God.

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Under the Weather

At Homeless in America, we’ve been a bit under the weather from the cold and flu season. Since the last post, Saturday, January 10, 2009 we contemplate our fragile human lives and ask: How do those who live in homelessness fair in periods of influenza, cold and malaise? For most Americans, in times like this we have the comfort of a warm bed, a hot shower, a doctor’s care and pharmacy medication to facilitate speedy recovery. When a person lives on the move, a sojourner with no shelter - Where do they go to get warm, heal and find strength? Fortunately for those on the streets of SoCal, finding a warm place in the sun has not been difficult this year – much different from 2004/2005 when the season brought more than 30 inches of rain and freezing cold to 93,000 of those at a loss for comfort.

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My High School Life Vs. the Life of Being Homeless

by
Abby Blumenhein

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet and interview a man named Lane Nelson. I was sent to the interview with no prior knowledge of this man, only the fact that he was homeless. When I first saw him I noticed that we had several physical differences, like his badly groomed beard and his Pink Floyd shirt that sheltered his portly stomach.

Before I was to start the interview I knew that a proper introduction would be necessary. I was reluctant on the inside to shake his hand, not knowing where he had been or what he had been doing. Ashamed as I was for feeling like that, I knew it must be the way the majority of people felt, for he didn't shake my hand when I finally extended it before him.

We sat down and I began asking my prepared questions. I asked him to describe a typical day in his life. His reply was shocking to me, being a young woman from a small, sheltered town. His day begins at four o'clock in the morning when he waits in a line for the shelters to open. He eats a bite for breakfast and is thrown back into the streets at six o'clock a.m., forcing him to wander around for warmth. Often, he finds himself in the library taking a nap or reading a book. Around four o'clock in the afternoon he returns to a line at the shelter, praying that they will have a bed for him to sleep in that night. If they do, he sleeps in safety. But if the shelter is booked, he walks the streets searching for a place to sleep overnight.

Another depressing story was revealed to me later in the interview. Two of Lane's friends were killed. One fell asleep in a dumpster and was crushed when the trucks came to pick up the trash. Another one of his friends was hit by a car while he was standing inches away from Lane in a line to buy alcohol. Even more devastating, Lane's brother was killed.

The winter time for Lane is pure horror. There are very few places he can go to keep warm and few pieces of clothing he can cover up with. At one point in the interview, Lane even said that all in all, his life hasn't been too rough.

Leaving the interview is when I felt a sudden wave of selfishness. Just hours before the interview I had been upset because I left my lunch money at home, and had to go a few more hours without food. A day before, I had been angry with a friend for not returning a phone call. How could I be so self-involved not to realize that what I consider problems are merely splices of importance? My problems don't even compare with the treachery that Lane is forced to face from day to day.

The life I live is in complete contrast from his. For me, the winter time is a warm, cozy season, holding memories of Christmas and family bonding. I have a place to sleep when the weather plummets to below freezing temperatures and I have a place that I can call home - a place where I eat hearty meals and where I feel love in my house every season, year round.

A major part of me wanted to take Lane home and open up a whole new world for him. I wanted Lane to experience what I have been so fortunate to live with on a daily basis. I wanted to put some touches of being human into his life. I can still hear him saying, "All in all, my life hasn't been that rough." I just marvel at those words. I guess the word "rough" can hold several interpretations. He could adapt to my interpretation, but I, in contrast, could never adapt to his.

Abby's essay, excerpted here was entered in the 1996 PTSA "Reflections" contest under the title, My Life Vs. the Homeless. The essay was judged best in state of Missouri and went on to a national competition.

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Party Tips from Jesus

Jesus is the greatest story teller of all time. He always seems to have a tale that is even contemporary to our modern ears. Take for instance the story of the “Great Banquet.” He tells it in conjunction with being invited to someone’s house for dinner - a Pharisee. Certainly the person that threw the party then or even one who throws a party today can relate. After all, when have you not been disappointed at who did not show up for a special dinner, party or worse yet birthday, anniversary or wedding event? They say that one should be prepared for about a 30 – 40 percent drop off rate from all RSVPs.

But Jesus had the solution to this sort of drop off rate. He admonishes his listeners not to invite the likely guests, but to invite losers - people who are just grateful that they got an invitation! Best of all? Jesus' solution dismantles all the left over worries as to who did or did not invite you in return to one of their awesome parties.

Here is what he said to the man who had invited him …

"When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:12-14

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For Those Who Dwell Under Starlight

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Lord, you shame the rich, the powerful and the wise, but let us boast in our poverty:

R Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who dwell in homes on mountain tops and skyscraper rooftops:
- lead them home to the house built on the rock of Christ. R

For those who dwell under starlight, city streetlights and bridge underpasses:
- lead them home high above The City to houses built on the rock of Christ. R

For those who take shelter within flimsy walls of money and power:
- show them that your wisdom is filled with anomalies and contradictions by the world’s standards. R

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The Beggar in all of Us!

by

Father Julian Carron

The true protagonist of history is the beggar. If we wish to live this moment as protagonists, that is, without being formal, by following the manner in which we have been educated, each of us must become, or better, recognize what he is: a beggar.

It is easy: each of us must realize his need. The beggar is the one who is aware of his own human need.

One instant of true awareness would suffice to make us realize how needy we truly are. To become aware of one’s own need means to become aware of oneself, of the fact that he is a man. The beggar, therefore, is the man who is most self-aware. And in order to be aware, we must use reason even today, or better, especially today. We therefore begin to be protagonists when we begin to use reason, which means becoming aware of reality, aware of what I am according to all the factors.

So the beggar is not the one who is most naïve, but who is most realistic. And, consequently, as we begin to defeat the confusion that surrounds and penetrates us, nothing can hinder us from becoming aware of ourselves in the present moment.

We have no fear of looking at our need, of recognizing that we are needy, because of what has happened in our lives. Yes, we can look with sympathy on what is human because someone has embraced us; we can look with sympathy on our nothingness because Someone has had pity on it: “I have loved you with an eternal love and I have had pity on your nothingness.” It is this awareness that can help us to live this gesture. It is this awareness of standing before a Presence which permits us to take on an attitude of expectation.

The word that must govern, the attitude that must govern in all of us is “expectation,” the expectation of what will be given to us … The beggar has only one option: asking. Our expectation is one that becomes asking. Asking for what? Asking for the willingness to accept and welcome everything that will be given to us today.

Father Julian Carron is a Spanish priest and a professor of theology at the University of Milan.

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The Big Apple Needs to Feed More in 2009

Recently, the Associated Press released a story documenting new homeless statistics for 2008 in New York City. The year marked the highest number of recorded homeless individuals since the city began counting 25 years ago. Families took the biggest hit! In November, a record 9,720 families with little ones resided in shelters. That count is 13% higher than May 2008. Homeless advocates are concerned that the number will jump even higher if economic turmoil worsens in the city in 2009.

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