Can You Imagine?

By
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

"On the day that [my uncle] President Kennedy was buried, my father Robert Kennedy, gave me a note that he had hand written that day. What he wrote to me did not convey fear, anger, or bitterness ... 'Dear Kathleen, you seemed to understand that Jack died and was buried today. As the oldest of the Kennedy grandchildren – you have a particular responsibility to John [my cousin] and Joe [my brother]. Be kind to others and work for your country. Love, Daddy.'

"Can you imagine in your own moment of unimaginable loss, reminding your child – to turn outward, not inward, to perform works of kindness and not of anger or revenge? It still stops my breath to think of him stealing away on that chaotic, dreadful day, for a quiet half-minute at his desk to make sure I would have this message with me always.

"My father’s message was very clear as he entrusted me with his sense of duty to family and country. This duty was built on a foundation of Christian teachings about service to others and social justice [as promoted by the priests and nuns who taught us]. [They taught] the good life did not come just from following the rules and resisting temptations – after all, Jesus did not follow the rules – but from taking our faith out of our houses of worship and putting it into practice."

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the eldest child of Robert F. Kennedy. She worked in the U.S. Department of Justice before serving two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. She is the author of the book, "Failing America’s Faithful".

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A Christian cannot say, “I am a Social Worker”

by

Mother Teresa of Calucutta

Christ will not deceive us. That is why our lives must be woven around the Eucharist. The Christ who gives of Himself to us under the appearance of bread and the Christ who is hidden under the distressing disguise of the poor, is the same Christ. Because of this, we missionaries are not simply social workers. A Christian cannot say, “I am a social worker.” It isn’t just doing a little social work. If we Christian men and women believe that we are feeding a hungry Christ and clothing a naked Christ, we are contemplatives from the very center of our homes, our lives, and our world. That is why I define our Missionaries of Charity as contemplatives in the heart of the world twenty-four hours a day.

Christ has not deceived us. He has made this a condition for our future life in heaven. "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me ... I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:31-46)

When Jesus came into the world, He loved it so much that He gave His life for it. He wanted to satisfy our hunger for God. And what did He do? He made Himself the Bread of Life. He became small, fragile, and defenseless for us. Bits of bread can be so small that even a baby can chew it, even a dying person can eat it. He became the Bread of Life to satisfy our hunger for God, our hunger for love.

As if that were not enough, He Himself took on our human condition. He became hungry. He became naked. He became the poor one dying in our streets, so that we could satisfy our hunger for human love by loving Him. This is not something which is imaginary. It is not something out of the ordinary. God comes to us in human love so that we can love Him with our hearts. He wants us to love Him in those who are hungry, in those who are naked, in those who are homeless. This is what you and I are called to do. We must learn to pray steadfastly of this call.

The work that each one of you carries out on your families for those you love is an expression of your love for God. Love starts at home. For your love to be real, it cannot waver at home.

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A Friendly Reminder from Isaiah as to How to get one’s Self Heard by God in Heaven

Isaiah 58:1-14

1 Cry out in a loud voice and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a trumpet blast; Tell my people their wickedness, and the house of Jacob their sins.

2 They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, Like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God; They ask me to declare what is due them, pleased to gain access to God.

3 "Why do we fast, and you do not see it? afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?" Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers.

4 Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw. Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high!

5 Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: That a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

6 This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;

7 Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.

8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;

10 If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;

11 Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.

12 The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads."

13 If you hold back your foot on the Sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD'S holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice--

14 Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
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Insight into the Fragility of Life

by

Kylyssa

The time I spent homeless gave me an insight into the fragility of life, the strength of the will to survive, the bright potential for human love and kindness and the cold, warped pain of human hatred. As a writer, it is almost inevitable that such experiences would color my words. Being homeless scarred my mind and body in ways that may never heal. Much of my writing inspired by my time as a homeless person deals with the after effects of my experiences.

Perhaps the hardest part about being homeless was being de-humanized. Before I lost my home, I was a cherished daughter, a fine student, a sister, a niece, a grandchild. I was "that shy neighbor girl" and "that smart kid" - but homelessness changed it all.

Sometimes, just for fun, teenage boys would harass me - shove me around and kick me. Just to pass some time. People would look away or cross the street to avoid me though I never begged. Cops would wake me with a toe to my ribs or the back of my head, never asking if I was OK, just poking me like a stray dog or a bag of garbage. Somehow, these small, everyday assaults on my person and dignity hurt more than the vicious attacks that left me hospitalized. Perhaps because they were always so casual, so frequent that they completely buried whoever I had been. I became a thing rather than a person.

So once bad then horrible things started happening to me, I justified the casual cruelties and brutal wrongs in my own head, too. I became detached, depressed, I viewed myself as a sub-human thing, a vile creature it was allowable to abuse. Things that if done to someone else would have filled me with righteous anger became OK, because it was just me they were happening to. People could do things to me that I wouldn't stand by and allow them to do to an animal. All because I had become, in my mind and theirs, nothing more than a monster, a beast that didn't even deserve life.

I still struggle with these feelings and you can see them clearly in my writing.

More by Kylyssa on the Internet at http://www.squidoo.com/inspired_by_homelessness
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"I have Founded My Whole Law on Love"

Saint Faustina, after maintaining entries in her journal for years that chronicle many visitations, appearances and manifestations of the Lord, she records in entry #1478 the following encounter with Christ:

Why are you sad today Jesus? Tell me who is the cause of Your sadness? And Jesus answered me, "Chosen souls who do not have my Spirit, who live according to the letter [cf. 2 Corinthians 3:6] and have placed the letter above My Spirit, above the Spirit of love. I have founded my whole law on love, and yet I do not see love, even in the religious orders. This is why sadness fills My heart."

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The Rich Young Man

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself."

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Matthew 19:16-22

Commentary: Thousands sincerely seek to follow God and His commandments, and yet even thousands more simultaneously fall short of the Kingdom of God because of allowing covetousness of the world’s riches to crowd out faith. What's the solution? Jesus asks us to abandon our riches, give them to the poor and follow Him.

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Homeless In America - This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What are you put on this earth for?

When asked by David Frost what people are put on earth for, Robert Kennedy replied, “If you’ve made some contribution to someone else, to improve their life, and make their life a little more livable, a little more happy, I think that’s what you should be doing.”

Today, a new poll is launched. Please participate! Scroll down to near the bottom of this main page. Contemplate and respond to the following question: What do you think you are put on this earth for?

1. First and foremost to foster a personal relationship with God that is expressed in personal prosperity and blessings.

2. First and foremost to foster a personal relationship with God that is expressed in self-giving service to others.

3. Neither, because I don't know.

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What have you done for love of me?

"To know, love and serve God, this is life, and this is salvation. To know and love – yes, that is good, and it is necessary. But it is not enough. We must also act. When we shall find ourselves face to face with God, He will not be content merely with our thoughts and feelings; He will ask us: 'What have you done for love of me?' There are many people who, having spoken wonderful things about Him, will appear [before Him] empty handed, simply because their works have not corresponded with their words … He has truly given us His divine Son … We are bound to give ourselves as He gives Himself: that is to say, not only in words, but in deeds." From the writings of Dom Guillerand (+1945), a Carthusian monk and revered spiritual author.
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In Our Poverty, Jesus is the Ultimate Comfort Food

by

Thomas J. Reese, S.J.

Last Sunday, the Scripture readings in Catholic churches had in common that the people wanted something for themselves but God wanted more for them. In the first reading from Exodus, the Israelites wanted food. They were hungry. They were even willing to give up their freedom and go back to Egypt to ease their hunger. They were willing to sacrifice their long-term good for a short-term gain. Having been slaves all their lives, they didn't know better. God saves them once again by sending manna from heaven.

Likewise, the Ephesians wanted to go back to living their old lives, being their old selves, believing in "deceitful desires." Being Christ like is too much work. Paul tells them to put on the new self, be renewed in the spirit of your minds. And the crowd that follows Jesus in Matthew's Gospel follows him because he has fed them. They want signs and wonders, they want bread. But he wants to give them the bread of life.

The conclusion of all three readings is that human beings don't want what is good for them, especially if it means sacrificing short-term pleasures for long-term gains. We would rather follow our deceitful desires.

This, of course, is the problem with post-war Americans, the baby boomers and their children. Our parents learned about sacrifice and postponed gratification because of the depression and Second World War. But we have been taught to believe that we can have it all. We spent as fast as the money came in and we borrowed if we wanted more. "Charge it," became a way of having it all now and postponing the day of reckoning.

We also did it with our world, burning oil as if it would never run out, consuming throwaway products that overwhelm and pollute landfills, and wiping out species of fish, animals and plants with no thought of tomorrow. If global warming is even half as bad as predicted, our generation will go down in history as the most irresponsible and destructive generation of all time.

The bill finally came due with the current recession. The recession is not simply the result of economic mismanagement. At heart, it is the result of a moral failure, our failure as consumers and a country to live within our means.

We believed snake oil salesmen who told us we could go to war and cut taxes at the same time. We believed those who want to put the blame on the very rich when there is lots of blame to be shared by everyone. We wanted to believe the false prophets who promised perpetual profits; we wanted to believe the credit card companies; we wanted to believe that the risks were minimal. Like Eve, we wanted to believe the snake.

Pope Benedict argues in his new encyclical, Caritas in veritate, that an economy based on greed and self-interest will ultimately destroy itself. Without a concern for the common good, without a concern for future generations, we run off the cliff like bunch of lemmings.
"You must no longer live as the Gentiles do," writes St. Paul, "that is not how you learned Christ."

Jesus calls us to generosity, to forgiveness, to sacrifice. This message does not compete well against the messages of Madison Avenue and Hollywood. But Jesus gives us more than just a message. He gives us himself. "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Jesus is the ultimate comfort food. When times are bad, we can turn to him and be embraced by his love. When we feel overwhelmed by events that are out of our control, he comforts us. He accepts us as we are and is there for us.

The bread he gives us is his word and himself. In the Eucharist, we listen to his word and we break bread together. We receive the bread of life and by it are filled with his Spirit, which makes us one body, one spirit in Christ. This Spirit gives us hope because it tells us of God's love for us.

Oceanside Rant

From Oceanside, California, a blogger comments regarding "Preaching the “Prosperity Gospel” to the Homeless?" See Thursday, January 3, 2008.

D.C. wrote … I sold everything I have of value, quit my job, and live by faith daily with my wife and special needs son to do what Christ has called all of us to do. [What about you?] Are you always willing to go the extra mile for others? Is it an inconvenience or do you consider it to be a divine appointment? Isn't it through our generosity and love that many eventually see the face of God? We all have received a divine calling (cf. Eph. 4:1). Let us be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, being empowered by the indwelling of his Holy Spirit.

In Matt 5:16 he states, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.” We are a people called and EMPOWERED to make a difference. The world must see our faith in action. I ask you is the full effect of a person’s faith revealed in one’s words or in one’s actions? As James articulated, faith unaccompanied by action is dead. It is revealed and made complete by what we do. To be an effective Christian, our faith must be consistent, communicable, and convicting. In the absence of a Bible under our arms and wearing a Christian shirt, it should be clear to the world, wherever we go and whatever we do, that we are ambassadors for Christ …

* The Bible clearly states, "He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy." Proverbs 14:21
* "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31
* "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
* "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9
* "He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27

I pray [and challenge] those who claim a position of leadership in the kingdom and yet want for nothing, where is your love? What to you is the only true religion? Where is your heart and treasure? … D.C., Oceanside, California
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Motivations

God has consigned everyone’s lust of the flesh, pride of life and vanities to sin (that is 100% of all humans) in order that He may also consign everyone to deeds of righteousness, meaning works of mercy. For it is said in scripture, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 Also it is said, “For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.” Romans 11:32 Yet again it is said, “Judgment is without mercy to those who have shown no mercy, yet mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13

Some are motivated to serve the poor because somehow it feels good for them to help "unfortunate losers." Although this motivation may have a wonderful outcome, is it the right motivation? Consider this ... Because all have been consigned to disobedience so that God may have mercy on us all, therefore all have been consigned to doing works of compassion and mercy for the poor, the homeless, the broken, the prisoner, lost and abandoned. Being consigned to sin ourselves, possibly it is also the right motivation for each Christian to want to be merciful and help the poor and homeless in their neighborhood, office and world.

How to Prepare a Welcome in Heaven

"Let none of us even have the desire to possess riches. For what does it avail us to possess what we cannot take with us? Why not rather possess those things which we can take along with us - prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, understanding, charity, love of the poor, faith in Christ, meekness, hospitality? Once we possess these we shall find them going before us, preparing a welcome for us in the land of the meek." (Excerpted from, "St. Athanasius The Life of Saint Antony of the Desert." 363 A.D.)

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The Homeless Get a Royal Touch

Highlighting the importance of compassion for the poor, Britain's Prince William went hiking this past Friday with a group of homeless teenagers on a picturesque peak in northern England also raising awareness for two charities he patrons, spokespeople for the prince and one of the charities said. Prince William, joined a group of homeless teams on a mountain climb in the UK. William, 27, was joined by six teenagers from Centrepoint, a charity for homeless young people, as they walked up Helvellyn, a mountain in the Cumbria region of northeastern England.

The location of Friday's hike was kept a secret until the last minute. That meant other climbers on Helvellyn had no idea they would encounter royalty on an otherwise-normal day out. One or two of the people were quite surprised, to say the least, to see the future king of England coming the other way as they hiked along on the trail.