Clothed in true righteousness and not self-righteousness

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. John 1:14

The Lord has made a home among us so that we may not be eternally homeless, let us pray:

Inspire hearts everywhere the desire to do good in simple and everyday ways for all the poor living around us,
– that the Church may always be clothed in true righteousness and not self-righteousness. R

Arouse those who are well clothed and fed to provide clothing, food and shelter to refugees, the homeless and the poor,
– that those who are deprived of the basics of life may rejoice in You. R

Convert those who live in houses of darkness, and although they are rich, they are poor,
– that they may shed their dark, dirty and dingy clothes and be robed in light. R
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Ankles and Shoes, Ankles and Shoes

From the eyes of a lowly homeless person seeing from below not high . . . Lying on a subway platform begging for food they see laces and very few faces. Sitting protected in the shade of a corner building, the homeless sees feet, not meat. The homeless poetry of Scott Abbott brings us . . .

“Ankles and Shoes, Ankles and Shoes”

by Scott Abbott

Ankles and shoes, ankles and shoes,

Submerged beneath the financial news,

A coin may be flipped, a coin may be tossed,

A soul self serving, a breakfast of frost,

Memory fragments, drew down the curtain,

Breathe still exhaled, reasons uncertain,

Herds of strangers with familiar laces,

Test acoustics of a concrete matrix,

Intruding upon a homeless muse,

Left with the vision of ankles and shoes.
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Are We Justified By Faith Or Works?

We are not are saved by works, but by faith. However, works of mercy play a significant role in each person’s path to holiness, regeneration and sanctification. But first, in regard’s to justification by faith … Paul writes in Roman’s 3:20, “For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Paul is speaking here about the works of the law often connected with religious practices and observances. Although we may not be saved by works, however works of mercy and compassion toward the poor, the prisoner and the abandoned play a significant role in making us available to the grace of regeneration and personal sanctification.

Personal suffering also contributes toward sanctification and holiness. Paul writes … “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3) Paul also states, “Just as you once yielded your members to impurity and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness [right living] for sanctification.” (Romans 6:19) He also writes, “But by the Spirit if you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.” (Romans 8:14)

Life in Christ calls us to suffering, works of mercy, compassion and service to others that yield our members to holiness, sanctification and regeneration. The law certainly can make us aware of sin; however it can never sanctify us. Yielding our members to compassion and mercy will facilitate the Spirit’s sanctification process in our lives.
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Training the Passions

Training the passions by abstaining from them is how many believe that humans are freed from the lusts and daily sins of the human condition. For instance, many fast from certain foods or on certain days may take only bread and water. These are all good, but to be completely cured of the flesh, Saint Peter Chrysologus states that “an expenditure of mercy is required.”

Although fasting may repel the diseases of the flesh, only the flow of mercy, kindness, almsgiving and compassion will open the doors of healing grace that will eradicate the passions. Basically, one can do all the fasting and abstaining possible and like self-help books and methods, it won’t cure them. The more unmericiful we are toward others, the less likely fasting will have little effect on one's healing.

Chrysologus states, “Fasting heals the wounds of sins, but without mercy it does not cleanse the scars made by the wounds.” Fasting may be good for the soul, but without the soul freely giving mercy, one cannot ascend to God.
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Homeless In New Jersey

The Associated Press reports that long-term encampments from the woods of southern New Jersey to the congested northern end of the state house an increasing number of immigrant day laborers who are joining the ranks of the state’s homeless.

In northern New Jersey, more than 100 homeless immigrant day laborers were found to be camping out in a North Bergen graveyard.

Authorities cleared out a homeless encampment beneath a highway overpass in Passaic that was divided into sections labeled "USA" and "Mexico."

Near the Jersey shore, authorities recently removed occupants of two homeless tent cities — known locally as "the people in the woods."

The camps were set up next to each other — one primarily a "local" camp and another populated by Mexican day laborers.

David Jones, a Lakewood native who lived in the local camp for years, said officials mostly left them alone until the immigrant camp sprung up.

"My personal feeling is that they attacked the Mexican site first to try and knock the homeless population down," he said.

Local homeless people marveled at the Mexican camp because it had a chicken coop for fresh eggs, a communal outdoor kitchen fueled by propane gas, and large garden full of fresh vegetables, including tall stalks of corn.
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Horrified But Not Surprised, We Find Love

Bede Jarrett, a Dominican priest from England, before the time of his death in 1934 once wrote: “If we were truly humble, we should never be astonished to find ourselves giving way to sin. We should indeed be horrified but not surprised . . . Once we have really begun to try to see what we are like, we recognize ourselves to be the most evil of creatures. This is no mock humility, for there is no room for anything mock in the spiritual life. This is true humility . . . God wishes me out of my past sin to come nearer to him, to find somewhere in that unhappy past a motive too for love.”
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Liberals and Conservatives

When Jesus said, "The poor you always have with you" (Mark 14:7), he was pointing out that we are sinful in permitting poverty. For his allusion is to Deut. 15:4, 5: "There will be no poor among you if only you will obey the voice of the Lord."

Therefore . . .

There should be no liberals in America, just the merciful.

No conservatives, just the compassionate.

No liberals, just the forgiving.

No conservatives, just kindness.

No liberals, just the patient.

No conservatives, just love.
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Done Secretly

God is more pleased by one work, however small, done secretly, without desire that it be known, than a thousand done with the desire that people know of them. Those who work for God with purest love not only care nothing about whether others see their works, but do not even seek that God himself know of them. Such persons would not cease to render God the same services, with the same joy and purity of love, even if God were never to know of these. John of the Cross
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I have to say, "I am the best!"

By Jean Vanier

You see, the danger we human beings face is that we are vulnerable. We've all been hurt and so we create defense mechanisms. These defense mechanisms are based on elements of fear and prejudice. I have to say, "I am the best!" We are Canadians. We are Americans. We are this, we are that. We are in this church. We are the ones that know everything and others don't. And then one day you speak to Lazarus [the poor man in Jesus' parable]. You share with him and you begin to see that Lazarus is an incredibly beautiful human being.

I will tell you the story about a young boy. It's quite far from Lazarus but it's a young lad who died at the age of five, and at the age of three had paralysis of the legs and the paralysis moved all the way up the body. A few weeks before his death, he was blind and completely paralyzed and Mum was weeping next to him. The little boy said, "Don't cry Mummy. I still have a heart to love my Mummy with." Now that little boy was incredibly mature. You see, maturity is not to weep for what I do not have but to give thanks for what I have.

Hidden in this broken body of the leper, Lazarus, the beggar, you find a human being who has touched the essence of his humanity, whereas many other people who are rich and powerful are hiding their humanity. They don't really know who they are. They don't really know that they are a little child crying out for love. Aristotle says something quite extraordinary. He says, "If you feel you are not loved, you seek to be admired." That's to say you want to be brilliant, you want power, you want to have people looking at you, but you don't quite know who you are yourself.

Jean Vanier is the founder of l’Arche, an international network of communities for the mentally disabled.

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