Give to the Homeless, Commit a Crime?

In recent years, there’s been talk in San Antonio, Texas, from a local councilman who wants to make it a crime to give money to a beggar or homeless person on city streets. Those who open their wallets would be fined.

"If there's no money for the panhandlers, the panhandlers will go away," said Councilman John Clamp.

But some residents say what will go away is their right to give. “I think it is absolutely ludicrous to ticket someone for wanting to help out another human being,” one person commented online. “To me, that is the same as punishing someone for wanting to do the right thing.” Another wrote, “Whenever I am tempted to pass judgment on these people I ask myself how desperate would I have to be and how far would I have to fall before I would beg? Then I hand them a dollar and get on with my day.” 

“You are all missing the point,” wrote another resident who said giving cash to “bums” was ill advised. “I used to give them money,” the writer continued, “until I started seeing them in the park drinking and smoking crack!” San Antonio Express-News columnist Victor Landa, however, questioned the practicality of the proposed law by asking, “Whose responsibility is it to be the street-level charity police?” 

_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

More Proud than a Peacock

By Saint Louis Montefort

What Lucifer lost through pride, Mary won through

humility. What Eve lost through disobedience, Mary
saved through obedience. By heeding the serpent, Eve
caused the downfall of herself and all her children.

She delivered them into the serpent’s power. Mary, having
completely surrendered herself to God, saved her children
and servants, with herself, and consecrated them
to God.

True, God has declared only one war; but He has

put enmities between Mary and the devil, and between
her seed and the devil’s seed; and He has sown secret
hatreds and dislikes between the followers of Mary and
the followers of the devil. They do not, frankly, love each
other—these two armies. They do not have any natural
attraction or friendliness toward each other.
The children of Satan, the friends of the world—it’s
the same clan—have always persecuted those who
belong to the Queen of Heaven, as Cain persecuted his
brother Abel, and Esau his brother Jacob. They will be
more cruel in their persecution as time goes on. Cain
and Esau represent the children of the bottomless pit.
Abel and Jacob stand for the chosen, the elect. Mary, the
humble one, will always conquer the angel of pride; and
she will crush his head, where his pride dwells . . .

We are by nature more proud than peacocks, more attached
to the earth than toads, more ugly than goats, more envious
than snakes, more gluttonous than pigs, more quick
than tigers to red anger, more lazy than turtles, more
weak than any reed, more inconstant than any weathervane.
We have within ourselves only nothingness and
sin; and we deserve only the wrath of God, and everlasting
hell!

Considering this, is it any wonder that Our Lord

bade His would-be followers to renounce themselves
and hate their lives—that he who loved his life would
lose it, and that he who hated his life would save it?
_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

Mourning for those who Laugh

By Saint John Chrysostom

Being a disciple of Christ means being meek and gentle. And from what source may we draw this meekness? If we are continually mindful of our sins, if we grieve for them, if we weep for them. A soul which habitually feels such contrition does not permit itself to become vexed and angry. In truth, where there is sorrow, anger cannot be; where there is compunction, anger is altogether out of place; where there is contrition of soul, there is no irritation. The soul that suffers the lash of contrition has no time to be aroused to anger, but it groans bitterly and weeps more bitterly. Now, I know that many laugh when they hear these words, but I do not cease mourning for those who laugh. The present time is the time for mourning and grieving, because we commit many sins in word and deed. Indeed, hear what the Prophet said: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.” Well, then, we also must have mercy on our neighbors in this way: according to the great mercy shown to us. For, we shall obtain the kind of treatment from our Lord that we give to our fellow servants. And what is “great mercy” like? When we give, not from superfluities, but from our necessities. But if we do not even give from our superfluities, what hope will there be for us? When shall we be rid of those sins of ours? Where shall we be able to flee and find salvation?

_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

Charity Challenge

A year has passed since a very important poll was posted for readers and bloggers to respond to.  Recently the survey closed.  Everyone that replied contemplated the following . . .

“Jesus, his disciples and later, even St. Francis and his brothers lived by faith, begging door to door for their every need. If you became poor and homeless, would your local church community support you living as a beggar too?”

 

Only about 14% were willing to say, “Yes, I am confident they would stick by me.”   Surprisingly, 86% have little confidence in the charity of their brothers and sisters and said, “I have my doubts.”

Not too surprisingly, the reading of God’s Word for the past few Sundays has been from the Letter of James.  Coincidentally, he addresses the same contradictions 2,000 years ago.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2: 14-18

_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

James the Brother of Jesus: Judging, Pride, Arrogance, Church Hypocrites and other Diabolical Natures

Being a Christian is not an abstract ideal.  It is the result of the hard work of suspending judgment, not gossiping or showing favoritism, showing mercy to the poor and seeking reconciliation, not feeding pride and ego.

“Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.”If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

 

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  James 2: 1-13
_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

The Preaching of Peter

"Rich is he that has mercy on many, and he that, imitating God, gives of that which he has. For God has given all things to all of his creatures. Understand then, you rich, that you ought to minister [to others], for you have received more than what you yourselves need. Learn that others lack the things you have in luxury. Be ashamed that you keep the things that really belong to others. Imitate the fairness and equality of God, and no man will be poor."

The Preaching of Peter has been attributed to the Apostle Peter himself and was often quoted by Clement of Alexandria.  The original manuscript was written around 100 – 150 and now exists primarily in fragments as quoted by Clement of Alexandria and Origen.

______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

The Letter of the Law

ABC and Yahoo news both recently reported on Dana Crow-Smith who first got into trouble with Arizona police when she stepped onto public property while handing out free bottles of water during a July arts event emblazoned with suffocating desert temperatures. But the Phoenix resident now says she was expressing her Christian faith and has enlisted the help of at least one national organization that is threatening to sue the city because of their apparent aggression toward charitable water bottle givers that wish to help prevent dehydration.

Police issued Crow-Smith a warning, saying she needed a vendor's permit after handing out the water during a First Friday Art Walk on July 6. A Phoenix city memo states that Crow-Smith violated an ordinance requiring permits for "vending, selling, serving, displaying, offering for sale or giving away goods, wares, or merchandise or food from either a mobile vending unit or a mobile food vending unit."

"I don't even think it's about religious beliefs, I think anybody should be able to give away water, on the sidewalk to anybody. It's hot, and it's a nice thing to do," Crow-Smith said in an August interview with a local ABC affiliate.

Virginia-based Christian-rights organization The Rutherford Institute has formally taken up her cause, threatening to sue the city if Phoenix officials do not apologize to Crow-Smith.

In a letter to Phoenix city officials, Rutherford attorney Doug Drury says the ordinance does not apply to Crow-Smith, since she was giving away the water bottles for free. "Ms. Crow-Smith's conduct was a manifestation of her sincerely held religious beliefs," the letter adds.

However, Phoenix officials say they are not likely to change their position, noting they only gave Crow-Smith a warning rather than a fine.

_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

But I Speak for the Poor

"But I speak for the poor and simple, who, because they have good will and more faith than most scholars, better understand the truth." St. Louis Montfort

The Apology of  Aristedes

I, O King, by the grace of God came into this world; and when I had considered the heaven and the earth and the seas, and had surveyed the sun and the rest of creation, I marveled at the beauty of the world. And I perceived that the world and all that is therein are moved by the power of another; and I understood that he who moves them is God, who is hidden in them, and veiled by them. And it is manifest that that which causes motion is more powerful than that which is moved. But that I should make search concerning this same mover of all, as to what is his nature (for it seems to me, he is indeed unsearchable in his nature), and that I should argue as to the constancy of his government, so as to grasp it fully,--this is a vain effort for me; for it is not possible that a man should fully comprehend it. I say, however, concerning this mover of the world, that he is God of all, who made all things for the sake of mankind. And it seems to me that this is reasonable, that one should fear God and should not oppress man . . .

St. Aristides delivered the Apology around the year 125, when the Roman emperor Hadrian visited Athens. His memory is kept by the Church on August 31st.

_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, RIP

Recently, before his passing, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said, “the Catholic Church was 200 years out of date.”  The former archbishop of Milan and once papal hopeful said in an interview that was released on Saturday.

Dying at the age of 85 on Friday, Martini is known for building ties between Christians and Jews and recently had discussed how the church’s failings were due to its proud and increasing bureaucratic nature.  He was known for confronting self-righteousness, pride, arrogance and hypocrisy in the Church head on.

Martini believed that the Church should humble itself and be more upfront about the accusations raised against it. "The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation," he said.

Thousands of people flocked to his coffin on Saturday in Milan.

A Partial Eulogy for Cardinal Martini

By St. Augustine, Doctor of Grace

Let us therefore lead good lives, and while we lead good lives let us on no account take it for granted that we are without sin.  Living a life that is praiseworthy includes begging pardon for things that are blameworthy.  But people who are beyond hope pay all the less attention to their own sins, the more interested they are in those of others.  They are looking for a chance to tear others to bits, not put them right.  Unable to excuse themselves, they are all too ready to accuse others.

And a Parting Scripture from Today's Gospel. . .

[Jesus said to the elders and leaders], “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the precepts of men.’ “You disregard God’s commandment [to love God and each other] but cling to human traditions. “ Jesus then summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand . . .” From within people, from their hearts come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly,. All of these come from within and that is what defiles a person.” Mark 7: 1-23

_______________     

• Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
• List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
• Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
• Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.