Homeless in America

"Poor" Woman Gives Nearly $2 Million to the Poor

2012-01-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Modesto Bee and ABC News reports that a “poor” woman left nearly $2 million dollars to the Salvation Army to care for the poor and the homeless in Modesto, CA.

Elinor Sauerwein (photo) was taught by her mother to never waste a thing. She never purchased a dryer, hanging her laundry on a clothesline in the backyard. She painted her home when it needed a touch-up and mowed her own lawn until she reached her early 90s. She refused to go to restaurants, the movies or pay for cable TV. It could be said she took frugality to a whole new level.

Needless to say, it was a shock when a check for $1,731,533.91 from the estate of Elinor Sauerwein was presented to the Salvation Army this past Christmas Eve.

John Bullock who took care of her affairs commented, "She said every dollar I save is another dollar that could go to the Salvation Army. Her goal for years and years was to amass as much as she could so it would go to the Salvation Army," Bullock told ABC News. "She did an excellent job at it."

Elinor Sauerwein grew her own fruits and vegetables in a small, meager backyard, and even at the age of 90 would climb to the top of a ladder to pick from the trees. The extreme frugality certainly paid off: At the time of her death, Sauerwein had amassed almost $2 million in savings.

"Most people around her thought she was poor. However, Sauerwin's friends knew she had money, but they just didn't know how much," Bullock told ABC News.

In the late 1930s, after Elinor graduated from college, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Crookston, Neb., traveling to her job on horseback. When she arrived, she'd light a fire to warm the room for the schoolchildren, teach, clean the room and hop back on her horse for the ride home.

She soon met her husband, Harold, and they married in 1945 and moved to California, settling in Modesto, where Sauerwein cooked for ranch hands on the ranch where her husband found a job. She later worked at LM Morris business machines, according to the Modesto Bee.
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Someone that is Doing Something

2012-01-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Steve Jordan gave up the comforts of home to experience life as a homeless person living outdoors in the freezing cold of the Grand Rapids, Michigan area winter.

Jordan, 41, a member of the Helping Hands Ministry of Thornapple Valley Church, said he hopes the experiment raises awareness about the increasing numbers of homeless people in the region.

From noon this past Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jordan lived out of a cardboard box, warming himself at a trash barrel fire and eating food community members brought over. His camp was set up on the corner of Michigan Route 37 and Heath Road in the burb of Hastings. Invited guests were members of his church, youth groups and community groups – all asked to stop by and spend time realizing what it’s like to be homeless.

“I know there is a great need in our community. There are many gaps where people don’t get assistance,” he said.

Jordan is accepting donations and hopes to have raised $100,000 during the weekend event. The money will be shared with Green Gables, Love Inc., Thornapple Valley Church, and for future collaboration with United Way programs.
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Home is a Humble Heart

2012-01-19T04:38:00.000-08:00

Again the bride said [to the Blessed Mother]: “Should those who build tall and sumptuous churches for your Son be rebuked? Or are they to be censured and criticized if they ask for a lot of donations in order to construct such buildings?” The Mother answered: “When a church is wide enough to hold all the people coming into it, when its walls are tall enough that the people going into it are not crowded together, when its walls are thick and strong enough to withstand any wind, when its roof is tight and firm enough that it does not leak then they have built it sufficiently. A humble heart in a humble church is more pleasing to God than high walls in which there are bodies inside but hearts outside. Accordingly, they have no need to fill their chests with gold and silver for works of construction, for it did not do Solomon any good to have built such sumptuous buildings when neglecting to love God for whom they were being built.” The Revelations of St. Bridget, Book 3 - Chapter 18
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Making Frozen Yogurt and Beggar Beating

2012-01-18T02:14:00.000-08:00

ABC News writer Colleen Curry reports that the co-founder of Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt, Young Lee, was arrested today at Los Angeles airport on a warrant for beating a homeless beggar in LA last June.

Lee, who helped design the healthy, low-calorie dessert chain, is accused of chasing down a homeless man who approached his car in downtown Los Angeles asking for money on June 15, 2011. Lee and another individual beat the homeless man with a tire iron, according to police. The man was hospitalized for treatment.

Witnesses reported the incident to police, including the license plate of the vehicle, a Range Rover, which was rented in Lee's name. Police seized the tire iron from the vehicle, police said. Witnesses also helped police identify Lee from a photo display, allowing police to obtain a warrant for his arrest.

"This case is emblematic of how the homeless are among the most vulnerable in our society," Lt. Paul Vernon said in a statement. "Despite the challenges in the case, the detectives never gave up and eventually found the victim after leads took them to Skidrow and the local jail."

According to a 2006 profile of Pinkberry by the Los Angeles Times, Lee, a native of Korea, was a former kick boxer and bouncer who became an architect responsible for the chain's bright colored walls and sleek furniture. He founded the chain with Hyekyung "Shelly" Hwang, also of Korea, in 2005 in Los Angeles. It has since become a worldwide chain.
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The $88 Million “School Dorm Room”

2012-01-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

An $88 million Manhattan apartment listed for sale this past November had the potential to break the record for the highest individual transaction in New York City history. It did!

The record was broken in December — by a 22-year-old. Forbes magazine reports the daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev is buying the 6,744-foot condo at 15 Central Park West (photo). Ekaterina Rybolovleva will soon attend college in the United States (it’s unclear which one) and she plans to use the apartment as her “school dorm” while attending classes. The sale works out to be $13,000 per square foot. That will buy her the luxury of four bedrooms, two wood-burning fireplaces and a 2,000-square-foot wraparound terrace.

While NYC poor homeless make it day to day on dumpster diving, crumbs and spoils, New York continues to be the city of blinding extravagances ranging from Serendipity Restaurant’s (225 East 60th Street, near 3rd Ave.) $1,000 gold-leaf-chocolate-truffle ice cream sundae and $1 million dollar ruby emerald pendants at 5th Avenue’s Cartier and Tiffany’s to now an $88 million posh dorm room on the upper west side!

[Jesus said] “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24

The saying was a response to a young rich man who had asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that he should keep the commandments, to which the man stated he had done. Jesus responded, "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." The young man became sad and was unwilling to do this. Jesus then spoke the above response, leaving his disciples astonished.
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It’s Between You and God

2012-01-13T04:48:00.000-08:00

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.” Mother Teresa
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Discovering the What and Who of Our Eternal Home

2012-01-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

By St. Augustine

What are You then, my God? What, but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord? Or who is God except our God? Most high, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet lacking nothing; supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet having all things. You love, without passion; are jealous, without anxiety; repents, yet grieves not; are angry, yet serene; change Your works, Your purpose unchanged; receive again what You find, yet never lost; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous, yet tough on usury. You receive over and above, that You may owe; and who has anything that is not Yours? You pay debts, owing nothing; remit debts, losing nothing. And what have I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? Or what can any man say when he speaks of You? Yet woe to him that speaks not of You, since mute are even the most eloquent without You.

Oh! That I might rest in You! Oh! That You would enter into my heart, and inebriate it, that I may forget my ills, and embrace You, my sole good! What are You to me? In Your pity, teach me to utter your goodness. Or what am I to You that You demand my love, and, if I do not give it, are obsessed with me, and threaten me with the most grievous afflictions? Is it then a great anguish to not love You? Oh! For Your mercies’ sake, tell me, O Lord my God, what You are to me. Say to my soul, “I am Your salvation”. Speak, so that I may hear. Behold, Lord, my heart is open before You; open also my ears and say to my soul, “I am Your salvation”. After this, let me make haste, and take hold of You. Hide not Your face from me. Don’t let me die — but I will die — but only let me see Your face. (The Confessions by St. Augustine, Book I)
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Living Penniless by Choice

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, Sarah Weir, a writer for Yahoo! Financially Fit, reported on a story of a woman who voluntarily chooses to live without money. Could you go sixteen years without spending any cash? That's how long 69-year-old Heidemarie Schwermer (photo), an Austrian grandmother of three, has lived without any dinero! Schwermer's journey to live without cash is the subject of a documentary film, Living Without Money, by director Line Halvorsen, which is screening internationally and will soon be available on DVD.

In 1996, Heidemarie, a former schoolteacher and psychotherapist, decided to try to live without money for a year as an experiment. As a child she had experienced deep deprivation as a refugee fleeing from Russian forces during World War II. Her family had escaped what was then East Prussia and ended up in Germany "penniless." She has always felt a sense of compassion and empathy for the homeless community that live in the city of Dortmund where she settled as an adult.

Two years before she began living completely without money, Schwermer had opened a swap shop where people could barter services and goods. It was such a success it gave her the confidence to take the leap of quitting her job, giving away all of her possessions except what could fit into a single suitcase and backpack, and moving out of her rental home. According to the Austrian Times, Schwermer says she "had become irritated by the greedy consumer society" she was witnessing.

She acknowledges that her friends were confused and her two grown daughters were initially shocked (she says they now accept her lifestyle). Schwermer lived nomadically, trading gardening, cleaning, and even therapy sessions for food and a place to sleep. She found it liberating: "Living without money gave me quality of life, inner wealth, and freedom."
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Knit Wits

2012-01-08T04:32:00.000-08:00

In Dearborn, Michigan, The Times-Herald reports today that local school children under the direction of teacher, Julie Wieleba-Milkie, have come together at recess and free time to make winter scarfs for the homeless. They call their social justice project “Knit Wits.” Knit Wits is comprised primarily of students at Sacred Heart School in Dearborn, MI. “We’re doing this all winter,” said Ms. Wieleba-Milkie, director of religious education.

Robbie Grasinski, a 10-year-old fifth grader, is a first-time knitter, and said using the loom is pretty easy. “It sounded like fun and I just like to make stuff,” Grasinski said. He hasn’t set a specific goal for himself, and said he is just going to see how many scarves he can make. He said it was important to make scarves for the homeless “because they’re cold out in the winter and you want them to be as warm as possible.”

Arwa Saleem, a 12-year-old seventh grader was curious about Knit Wits, so she decided to give it a try during a cold recess. She has been working on her first scarf at home in her spare time while watching television or listening to music. “The homeless get really cold and they need a lot of donations and a lot of people really can’t give it to them right now, so giving them the scarves really helps,” Saleem said.

Her friend, 12-year-old seventh grader Maddie Kaplan, who joined Knit Wits with her, had knitted the traditional way with knitting needles with her grandmother, and finds winding yarn around the loom and pulling the loops over the pegs with a crochet hook much easier.

“I think it’s really cool because you can do something that you like to do and something also that’s really helpful for people in need,” Kaplan said. “It’s something good for them, even if it’s just making one small scarf. You’re keeping them warm no matter what.”

Yarn, craft looms, crochet hooks and discount coupons to local craft stores may be donated to Sacred Heart Parish, 22430 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. For more information or to become a local Knit Wit, contact Julie Wieleba-Milkie via email at churchlady75@hotmail.com.
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A Message from Jesus for the Rich and the Poor

2012-01-05T06:05:00.000-08:00

"A rich person, as far as his means allow, should give to the poor with divine charity. But you might ask: 'What should a poor person who owns nothing give?' He should have the right intention and think the following thoughts: 'If I had anything, I would gladly give it generously.' Such an intention is counted for him as a deed. If the poor man's intention is such that he would like to have temporal possessions like others but only intends to give a small sum and mere trifles to the poor, this intention is reckoned for him as a small deed. Therefore a rich person with possessions should practice charity. A needy person should have the intention of giving, and it will gain him merit. Whoever gives more weight to the temporal than to the spiritual, whoever gives me one shilling and the world a hundred and himself a thousand does not use a fair measuring standard. A person who uses a measuring standard like that does not deserve to have my gold. I, the giver of all things, who can also take all things away, deserve the worthier share." (The Revelations of St. Bridget, Book 2, Chapter 14)
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What do you do on New Year's day?

2011-12-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

By Larry R. Linville

My parents always said that you should do good things on New Year's Day because that is what you will get back the rest of the year. Seems like a noble practice.

What you do on New Year’s Day
you will do the whole year.
I don’t know if that is true
but that is what I hear.

It makes perfect sense to me
something I try to do.
So I pass along this thought
a suggestion to you.

I want my poetry to be
a background every day
to look for positive thoughts
as guides along the way.

I hope you’ll find some things
that will bring joy and love
and help others receive
peace from God above.
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Jesus is better than Santa.

Any Surprise Here?

2011-12-28T00:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, HealthDay News announced the results of a recent Stanford University study indicating that poor people are quicker than middle-class or rich individuals to recognize the suffering of others and to show compassion, according to new research.

It included more than 300 young adults who were divided into groups that took part in three experiments designed to assess their levels of empathy and compassion.

The findings challenge previous research that concluded lower-class people are more likely to react with anxiety and hostility when faced with adversity, said the researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

"These latest results indicate that there's a culture of compassion and cooperation among lower-class individuals that may be born out of threats to their well-being," study author and social psychologist Jennifer Stellar said in a university news release.

"It's not that the upper classes are cold-hearted. They may just not be as adept at recognizing the cues and signals of suffering because they haven't had to deal with as many obstacles in their lives," she explained.

The findings, published online Dec. 12 in the journal Emotion, suggest a scientific basis for emotional differences between the rich and poor that are depicted in such Charles Dickens classics as "A Christmas Carol" and "A Tale of Two Cities."

The results also indicate that people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may do better in cooperative settings than those who are wealthy.

"Upper-class individuals appear to be more self-focused, they've grown up with more freedom and autonomy," Stellar said. "They may do better in an individualist, competitive environment."

More information on the compassion study, go to the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University.
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The Differences Between Jesus and Santa Claus

2011-12-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

Santa lives at the North Pole . .
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh . . .
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year . . .
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies . . .
JESUS supplies all your needs from His riches in heaven.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited . . .
JESUS stands at your door and knocks,
and then enters your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa . . .
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap . . .
JESUS is the Good Shepherd and lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is
"Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?" . . .
JESUS knew your name before you were born . . .
Not only does He know our names,
He knows our addresses too.
He knows our history and future and
He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jellybeans . . .
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO . . .
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry" . . .
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys . . .
JESUS commands all the angels of heaven.
They are messengers of new life, healing wounded hearts,
repairing broken homes and builders of heavenly mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but . . .
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree . . .
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree, the Cross . . .
Jesus Is The Reason For The Season!
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An Open Letter to Everyone from Jesus about Christmas

2011-12-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just "GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER".

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa's and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish - I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls "the Holiday", be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary--especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember.

LOVE,

Jesus
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The Night a Homeless Man Changed My Life

2011-12-19T19:25:00.001-08:00

By Katrina Stull

It was a chilly winter December night and time for our annual trip to Christmas in the Park. This year we had our first, new baby girl, to share the sights and sounds with and were looking forward to sharing it with her. I had worked retail for many years, so to me the holidays did not mean much except extra work . . . put the decorations up for this holiday, take them down and redecorate for the next. In addition, anyone who has worked retail can tell you about not only the hustle and bustle with customers and stocking shelves (in my case setting up our floral department and keeping it fresh), but about the extra-long hours that come with the job or late hours. For this reason, I dreaded them and they seemed like any other day.

This particular year though, somehow things would be changing about my view of Christmas and little did I know that our traditional visit to Christmas in the Park would turn out to be a reminder of what the season truly means.

After bundling everyone up and packing the diaper bag and stroller in the car, I made sure the camera was full to take lots of pictures to remember our daughter's first Christmas. The Bay Area is notorious for traffic in the evenings, but this night it was fairly light and before we knew it we were in the streets of downtown San Jose. We had opted to park in the Local 428 lot, which was next to the Union office and one of the fancy hotels downtown.

It was a wonderful night with my daughter getting her picture taken on Santa's lap, eating warm Churros and strolling through the walkways filled with animated scenes. I was very much there, but as the evening winded down, my mind was beginning to wander about work the next day. We listened to the music, the children laughing and watched our own daughter's eyes light up every time she saw the lights on a tree or watched one of the musical moving scenes.

We came to the Nativity scene, which I always take a few extra minutes to enjoy and say a little prayer in my head giving thanks for the miracle of the season and we all just stood there for a while. No sooner did we leave; it was the end of our tour and time to get back in the car and head home. To avoid the normal traffic of getting on the freeway, I drove through the streets between 7th and 11th. There are really beautiful old homes out there in some of the area, so we might have even got to see some house lights.

As I turned onto a street near a college bookstore, I saw a homeless man walking on the street. I do not know what happened in those moments, because all I remember was thinking I had an extra blanket I always carried in the car and it was extremely cold outside. Suddenly I pulled my 89 Ford Escort over to the side of the street and my husband at the time (now my ex) had asked, "What are you doing". It had to be evident I was pulling the car over so I replied, "pulling the car over. I have a blanket in the back."

He looked at me as if I was crazy and was really getting out of the car to take the homeless man a blanket? Yes, I was and I got out, opened the hatchback and I pulled out my "extra", not being used, clean blanket and slowly walked toward the homeless man. As I cautiously approached him, he just kept pushing his shopping cart filled with what few belongings he had.

"Excuse me... hello", I called out to him.
He kept walking and I followed and tried to call him again.
"Excuse me, Mr.", I called out and he finally turned around.

For some reason I was no longer nervous and I remember looking into to his eyes when he said, "you talking to me?" He was unkempt and his skin looked leathered, as if he had been in the sun all of his life. As I took a few steps closer, I saw his basket filled with a piece of cardboard, some clothes with holes and few dirty blankets. Nonetheless, I just had a gut feeling he was suppose to get this blanket tonight and I was the one who was going to give it to him.

I put the blanket across both my arms and reached it out to him. "Here this is for you," I said.
"But I already have some blankets", he said.
"This is a clean blanket, it is for you, and I want you to have it."
"For me?" he asked.
"For you, for Christmas", it blurted out of my mouth and I warmly smiled.
"You're giving this to me for Christmas", he asked?
"Yes, this is for you", I replied and reached it out even further.
When he took the blanket from my hands, I felt the touch of his hands on mine and he looked up and said kindly, "thank you". Again I looked at him with a smile and I said Merry Christmas. He replied, "Merry Christmas and God bless you."

As I got ready to turn away, I answered back "God bless you too."

Then, I began walking back to my car and I climbed in. Just before we were ready to go I had looked back at him through my rear view mirror. In the reflection, I saw the homeless man, standing there alone, in the cold, on the street and he was holding the blanket I had just given him across his arms, just as I had presented it to him, up to the sky. He was praying, and I looked out the window, back at him, seeing a sky filled with stars, and watched him give thanks to the Lord. I got a tear in my eye and suddenly, the true spirit of Christmas filled my heart and soul. "This is what Christmas is truly about" I said silently to myself as I gently cried.

That very evening, that very moment, I had yearned for all my life, when I would feel the true spirit of Christmas had just touched me and overflowed into my soul. In giving that night, I received the greatest gift and those memories still live on in my heart today. The homeless man had nothing but what he carried in his cart, but he had God and was truly richer than anyone on the outside looking in could see. That night, the homeless man touched my heart and my life in a special way. Every Christmas season, I think of him and that beautiful experience that was a turning point in my life. I still get a tear in my eye every time I remember that night and what I learned from the homeless man I gave that blanket to that night.

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God Uses All Things for the Good

2011-12-18T04:12:00.000-08:00

At one time, these people had it all - a home, car, family, friends, possessions, bank account and most importantly their freedom. Now they are homeless – having liquidated everything they own like a hobo hopping a cross-country rail – they live meagerly with few possessions. As pilgrims on their way home, they while away their remaining life’s hours in a wheelchair or pinned to an invalid’s sick bed. In their emptiness, they wait for footsteps - anyone’s, to bring a word, cheer, a prayer, a song and hope.

Many thanks to Our Lady Rosary Makers, Claire in San Luis Obispo, Rosemary in San Leandro and Irene in Seattle who stocked the Servants of the Father of Mercy choir with 100s of rosaries to give out to the poor forgotten elderly at area nursing homes. In a matter of just a few days, the rosary makers responded in full force sending large boxes of their handiwork to give out this holiday season. As the choir made the rounds and sang Sunday 5:30pm Christmas concerts at Twin Pines, Santa Paula, Treacy Villa, Ventura and Cypress Place, Ventura - Claudia’s 11 year old daughter Cynthia and 5 year old Valerie went bed to bed, room to room and made sure everyone received their hand made gift. It did not matter if a person was Catholic, Protestant or confused, everyone gladly grasped onto the crucifix and many hung the rosaries about their head as if it was a million dollar necklace. These nights, now they have no doubt slept in heavenly peace.

God uses all things for the good, doesn’t he? Because of sudden and unexplainable changes, the Servants of the Father of Mercy choir were recently dismissed after four years of leading Sunday 10am Mass worship. However, the hardworking all volunteer choir of 14 + with singers and instrumentalists are now freed up to spend their time singing for the elderly, the homeless, lost and broken. There will be no unemployment here, the need is eternally great. As the Christmas Holidays come to an end soon, the choir is getting geared up to go on tour to area nursing homes again in February with God “love songs” in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Handmade Valentine’s Day cards will be gifted to the elderly upoon arrival. The choir is also planning free concerts in the park for the homeless this summer.

Would you or someone you know like to join the band? The Servants of the Father of Mercy choir is currently in need of more singers of all ages, families, electric guitar player, violin, flute, brass and more. Email us at Contact@ServantsoftheFather.org and make a difference in someone’s life with your voice and musical talent.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

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Mixed Messages

2011-12-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas is about poverty, isn’t it? We all know the story – the poor Christ child, born in a barn, no room for him in the inn, he left his wealth in paradise and became one like us. How did Christmas ever become the season of wealth? We all know the story – black Friday, Christmas shopping, biggest retail season of the year, buying gifts and going into credit card debt.

The prophet Isaiah speaks above the noisy hoards . . .

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

Christ’s soon coming is good news to those who are aware of their poverty, brokenness and emptiness. For them, Christmas is a cause of rejoicing. However, for those who are perishing in their pride and arrogance, who are filled with self-importance and possessions, it spells eternal loss. What is up is down and every valley will be raised and every mountain made low.

Isaiah thunders . . . For this is what the high and exalted One says — he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is crushed and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the hearts of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
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The Continuing Poverty of the First Christmas: Forgotten, Neglected and Scorned

2011-12-14T06:47:00.001-08:00

By St. Bridget

I am the Creator of heaven and earth, one in divinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. I am he who spoke to the prophets and the patriarchs, the one whom they awaited. For the sake of their longing and in accordance with my promise, I took flesh without sin, without human relations, entering the body of the Virgin like the sun shining through the clearest crystal. The sun does not damage the glass by entering it, nor was the Virgin's virginity lost when I took my human nature. I took flesh but without surrendering my divinity. I was no less God, ruling and filling all things with the Father and the Holy Spirit, although I, with my human nature, was in the womb of the Virgin. Brightness is never separated from fire, nor was my divinity ever separated from my humanity, not even in death. Next I willed for my pure and sinless body to be wounded from the sole of my foot to the crown of my head for the sins of all men, and to be hung on the cross. It is now offered each day on the altar in order that people might love me more and call to mind my favors more frequently.

Now, however, I am totally forgotten, neglected and scorned, like a king cast out of his own kingdom in whose place a wicked thief has been elected and honored. I wanted my kingdom to be within the human person, and by right I should be king and lord over him, since I made him and redeemed him. Now, however, he has broken and profaned the faith he promised me at baptism. He has violated and rejected the laws I set up for him. He loves his self-will and scornfully refuses to listen to me. Besides, he exalts that most wicked thief, the devil, above me and pledges him his faith. The devil really is a thief, since, by evil temptations and false promises, he steals for himself the human soul that I redeemed with my own blood. It is not because he is more powerful, as it were, than I am that he is able to steal it, since I am so powerful that I can do all things by a single word, and I am so just that I would not commit the least injustice, not even if all the saints asked me to. However, since man, who has been given free will, voluntarily scorns my commandments and consents to the devil, then it is only just that he should also experience the devil's tyranny. The devil was created good by me but fell through his own wicked will and has, as it were, become my servant for inflicting retribution on the wicked. Although I am now so despised, nevertheless I am still so merciful that I will forgive the sins of any who ask for my mercy and who humble themselves, and I shall free them from the evil thief. But I shall visit my justice upon those who persist in holding me in contempt, and hearing it they will tremble and those who experience it will say: 'Alas, that we were ever born or conceived, alas, that we ever provoked the Lord of majesty to wrath!' (The Revelations of St. Bridget, Book One – Chapter 1)
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Preparing a Home for the Poor Homeless Lord this Christmas

2011-12-12T03:10:00.001-08:00

By St. Bridget

I stand before [you] like a visitor saying: 'Friend, supply the basic needs that I lack, and you will receive the greatest reward from God!' But in return for my sheeplike simplicity they drive me away as if I were a wolf lying in wait for the master's sheep. Instead of hospitality they affront me like a traitor unworthy of hospitality and refuse to take me in. But what will the rejected visitor do? Should he bring out arms against the householder who drives him away? By no means. That would not be just, since the owner can give or deny his property to whomever he wants.

What, then, will the visitor do? He should certainly say to the one rejecting him: 'Friend, since you do not want to take me in, I will go to another who will take pity on me.' And, going to another person, he hears from him: 'You are welcome, sir, all that I have is yours. May you be the lord now! I will be your servant and guest.' Those are the kind of lodgings I like to stay in, where I hear such a voice. I am like the visitor rejected by men. Although I can enter any place whatsoever by virtue of my power, still, under the dictates of justice, I only enter where people receive me with a good will as their true Lord, not as a guest, and surrender their own will into my hands.” (The Revelations of St. Bridget, Book One – Chapter 48)

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Just in Time for Christmas Giving - The Afterlife Comes to Help the Homeless - Check it Out!

2011-12-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

How to Find Meaning in Suffering

2011-12-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

By Victor Frankl
Composed while prisoner of a Nazi death camp, Auschwitz

Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself – be it meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself – by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love – the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself . . .

In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as a meaning of sacrifice . . . In accepting this challenge to suffer bravely, life has a meaning up to the last moment, and it retains this meaning literally to the end . . . My comrades’ . . . [Their] question was, “Will we survive the camp? For, if not, all this suffering has no meaning.” The question that beset me was, “Has all this suffering, this dying around us, a meaning? For, if not, then ultimately there is no meaning to survival; for a life whose meaning depends upon such a happenstance – as whether one escapes or not – ultimately would not be worth living at all”.
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A, B, C, D, F?

2011-12-02T05:36:00.000-08:00

Just as the commercialism of Christmas season can in its very nature deter the Christian from seeing Christ in Christmas, so too the business of our daily lives can lead us to forget to seek Jesus in the poor. Of course, we rely on our local church, pastors and leaders to help keep us focused.

Recently a new poll was launched. The following question is asked: Jesus commands us to clothe the naked, feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty. How would you grade your local church's "report card" in this regard?

Please scroll down to near the bottom of this main page and cast your vote. Participate in this and all the Homeless In America polls. Your opinion counts!
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The Holy Humility of the Common Poor

2011-12-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

By Caryll Houselander

Other mothers, seeing such singular gifts that Christ must have had, such gifts of mind and body, such skill and such brilliance of thought, would surely have fretted if such a son had not shown more ambition, had not made a name for himself. Why be a humble carpenter? For example, with his ability, and his imagination, he could become a famous wood sculptor. Another mother would have complained that so brilliant a boy could surely better himself and her family fortune at the same time! Had she not seen with her own eyes that even the proud Rabbis were awed and silenced by his uncanny wisdom? Was it not the duty of such a son to provide a little comfort for his mother’s old age?

But for Mary of Nazareth, it was enough that her Son was about his Father’s work. That is what he had said and his word was good enough for her. She knew that if he chose to be a poor working boy, absorbed in his trade, putting all that was in him into his humble job as an ordinary woodworker, if he was content and proud to bring home his laborer’s pay towards their daily bread, then most certainly that was God’s work. “He has put down the mighty from their seats and hath exalted the humble.”

He obeyed her because he trusted her, because she never resisted the Holy Spirit by whom she had conceived him, because she was passionately devoted to the will of God, because she loved the world. Her values were his values. Their own miracle went on, and it went on as mysteriously and secretly as a pure bright stream running underground. Just as Christ had received God’s love from Mary in his infancy, now he did God’s will in the little acts of obedience that filled the loveliness of their lives between the loss in the Temple and the temptation in the wilderness.

Caryll Houselander (+ 1954) was a British mystic, poet and spiritual teacher.
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Wealth, Seduction and Happiness

2011-11-27T20:08:00.001-08:00

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.” Mt. 19:21

We must take care to guard against greed, for though one may be rich, life does not consist of possessions, Jesus warns us in Luke 12:15. Our happiness lies in God alone. Those who are rich in goods and prestige would do well to devote all they have to the service of the Lord. Seduced by money and fame? Better yet, become seduced by the riches of the Gospel. Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Mt. 19:23-26
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The First Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

Everyone has heard that the first Thanksgiving took place with a bunch of Pilgrims off the Mayflower in 1621, but it was Abraham Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War, in 1863, established the annual celebration of Thanksgiving. Lincoln had learned how important it is to stop and thank God in the midst of great difficulties. He wrote . . .

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

~Abraham Lincoln~
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Builder of Our Eternal Home

2011-11-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

May we live as God’s household, holding fast to our confidence and pride in our hope. Amen. Hebrews 3:6

To Jesus Christ our foundation, cornerstone and Builder of our eternal home, let us pray:

R Lord, make your Church the dwelling place of God!

- - That all who are called by your name may care for the poor, broken, homeless, lost, orphan, widow, sick and dying around us: R

- - That your ministers and religious stewards may remain faithful to your Gospel of poverty, justice and truth: R

- - That our worship and gatherings may remain filled with those who are downtrodden, despised, rejected and humiliated: R

- - That the charity of your people here on earth may shine like the sun in the early morning darkness: R

"You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22
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The Great Communicator

2011-11-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

Ronald Reagan is acclaimed as “the great communicator,” but some say he sometimes used his rhetorical skills to stigmatize the poor. During his poverty speeches while dutifully promising to roll back welfare, Reagan often told the story of a so-called “welfare queen” in Chicago who drove a Cadillac and had ripped off $150,000 from the government using 80 aliases, 30 addresses, a dozen social security cards and four fictional dead husbands. Journalists searched for this “welfare cheat” in the hopes of interviewing her and discovered that apparently she didn’t exist.

Another of Reagan’s enduring legacies is the steep increase in the number of homeless people, which by the late 1980s had swollen to 600,000 on any given night – and 1.2 million over the course of a year. Many were Vietnam veterans, children and laid-off workers.

In early 1984 on Good Morning America, Reagan defended himself against charges of callousness toward the poor in a classic blaming-the-victim statement saying that “people who are sleeping on the grates…the homeless…are homeless, you might say, by choice.”

In this regard, recently, a Homeless In America poll came to an end. For about the past year bloggers and visitors have been sampled about this blaming-the-victim view. They were asked . . . What do you think? Are they homeless by choice? Are they homeless because of complex societal/personal factors? Here is how everyone answered:

One hundred percent of respondents believe that the poor homeless are suffering homelessness because of complex societal and personal factors. No one polled believes that they are homeless by choice.

Thank you for participating in this and all the Homeless In America polls. Please scroll down to near the bottom of this main page and participate in all of them. Your opinion counts!
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Santa's Homeless Sleigh is Coming to Town

2011-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

A BIG hearty thank you and God bless you goes out to the many Ventura, California area restaurant owners and establishments who generously supported this year’s Servants of the Father of Mercy holiday fundraiser for the homeless.

This holiday season the Servants of the Father of Mercy has launched a fundraiser for the 1000s of homeless whom we serve food, water, clothing, blankets, and spiritual supplies in Ventura and Los Angeles. It is called Santa’s Sleigh Holiday Raffle - $5 a chance to win one of two sleighs packed full with 100s of dollars in treats, dining certificates, gift certificates and more. The winners will be picked at a Holiday Party and Drawing, Friday, December 30, 2011.

In grateful acknowledgement to the following for their participation and the $100s of dollars in gift certificates that they have donated:
* Mai – Mai’s Café
* Coco – Coco's Beauty Salon
* James – Red Brick
* Tom – Urbane Café
* Derek – Sharkys
* Jose-Luis – Santa Paula Photography Studio
* Franco – Java Joes Café
* Nicole – All Star Nails
* Shelley – Noah's Bagels
* Patty & Paige – Fern's Flowers and Gifts
* Scott – Century Theater

If you would like to participate in the raffle (there are two sleighs – two chances to win) send an email with your address and how many tickets you would like to Contact@ServantsoftheFather.org. Post your donation at the donate tab, www.ServantsoftheFather.org. Or, post checks to Servants of the Father of Mercy, P. O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042.

God bless everyone for their participation!
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Putting on the Ritz

2011-11-15T05:42:00.000-08:00

Urban Peak Homeless Shelter for homeless young people reaches out to those in need on a monthly basis in a unique partnership with the Ritz-Carlton, a newly opened (2008) 5 star hotel in the Denver, Colorado area. Every third Thursday of the month, a complimentary dining event is made up for the youth. Employees and even guests of the Ritz-Carlton get into the action by cooking and serving breakfast to the poor at the Urban Peak homeless shelter.

Would you like to join the team? Put on your “chef’s hat” for the entire morning -- whether flipping pancakes or rolling up burritos, this is an opportunity to have fun, interact with the youth and get involved in the local community. Family members under the age of 18 are welcome to volunteer in the meal preparation but must be accompanied by an adult. Urban Peak is located just minutes from the Ritz-Carlton property, and offers extensive services for homeless and runaway youth; the organization helps guide teens and young adults out of homelessness and other life challenges by providing safety, respect, essential services and a supportive community, empowering them to become self-reliant and more successful in life.

More on the Internet at: http://www.urbanpeak.org/
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Seeing is Believing

2011-11-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, bloggers and visitors to Homeless In America were asked in a poll to disclose how often they may encounter a homeless person. According to their responses, fewer than 50% seldom see or speak to someone who is homeless. Of course, when living in big cities it is practically impossible to miss seeing those who are down and out. But for those living in more rural regions of the country, one may miss the reality of homelessness, nearly 3.5 million lost, broken and lonely souls, many living in Calcutta-like conditions, especially under bridges in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

After polling the question: “How often do you see or speak to a homeless person?” Here is how everyone responded . . .

Daily (16%)
Every few days (16%)
Once or twice a month (22%)
Rarely (44%)

There is a spiritual danger when we do not see the poor, especially when they are obvious as was the case of Lazarus and the rich man, a parable told by Jesus in this regard, (Cf. Luke 16:19-31). At the end of the story, the rich man ends up in the eternal place of torment, not because of sins he committed, but because of what he did not do in his lifetime, namely helping the poor.

Jean Vanier, the founder of l‘Arche communities for the disabled, expands upon the lessons to be learned from “Lazarus and the Rich Man.” While speaking on radio with Lydia Talbot, he once said, “I think there is a whole mystery which we find in Luke. Lazarus was an excluded outcast, a leper, and he is the one that enters into the kingdom. The rich man, who wasn't able to see him, rejected him. He goes into the place of torment. You see, the danger for rich people is that they become frightened and they build up barriers around their hearts, defense mechanisms, because they have to preserve their riches, preserve their image, preserve their power. So they become people of with lots of fear, whereas Lazarus has nothing to defend. He's just himself.”
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Homeless Help Prepare Protesters

2011-11-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Recently, Associated Press writer Erika Niedowski reported that with the temperature dropping, Occupy Protesters are stockpiling donated coats, blankets and scarves, trying to secure cots and military-grade tents, and getting survival tips from the homeless people who have joined their encampments.

"Everyone's been calling it our Valley Forge moment," said Michael McCarthy, a former Navy medic in Providence. "Everybody thought that George Washington couldn't possibly survive in the Northeast."

More than a month and a half into the movement, Occupy Wall Street activists from New York to Colorado have pledged to tough out the snow, sleet and cold as they protest economic inequality and what they call corporate greed [and unfair bank fees, etc.].

But the dangers of staying outdoors in some of the country's harsher climes are already becoming apparent: In Denver, two protesters were hospitalized with hypothermia this week during a storm that dumped several inches of snow.

The activists also know full well that the number of demonstrators is likely to drop as the weather gets colder.

Some movements are scouting locations indoors, including vacant buildings or other unused properties, possibly even foreclosed homes, though some question the wisdom of holding a protest outside the public eye.

Boston's Occupy movement, which has roughly 300 overnight participants and could face some of the most brutal weather of any city with a major encampment, has set up a winterization committee that will try to obtain super-insulated sleeping bags and other winter survival gear.

Activists from the movement's flagship encampment, consisting of hundreds of people in New York City's Zuccotti Park, are sorting through packages arriving daily that include coats and jackets.
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What does the Bible say about compassion for the poor?

2011-11-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is! And this is just from the beginning of the Bible . . .

Deuteronomy 14:29
“Keep it in reserve for the Levite who won't get any property or inheritance as you will, and for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow who live in your neighborhood. That way they'll have plenty to eat and God, your God, will bless you in all your work.”

Deuteronomy 15:7
“When you happen on someone who's in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don't look the other way pretending you don't see him. Don't keep a tight grip on your purse.”

Deuteronomy 15:11
“There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.”

Deuteronomy 24:19-21
“19: When you harvest your grain and forget a sheaf back in the field, don't go back and get it; leave it for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow so that God, your God, will bless you in all your work. 20: When you shake the olives off your trees, don't go back over the branches and strip them bare--what's left is for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. 21: And when you cut the grapes in your vineyard, don't take every last grape--leave a few for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.”
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Tips on Being Homeless or Just Dirt Poor

2011-11-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

Whether you are technically homeless or just dirt poor, finding food and water or other amenities like heat can be a daunting task. Here are a few tips from the pros – people who have been there and know something about how to survive.

- Check out events like church gatherings, Sunday morning coffee and donuts, open houses or special museum nights. Usually they have free food. Free samples at grocery stores and markets are also an awesome welcome.

- Friends who haven't seen you in a while will occasionally offer to buy you lunch or coffee. Yeah, it feels like a humbling guilt trip, but it's because they care about you. Obviously don't ask, but if they offer its okay to say yes.

- Can’t afford the gas or electric? Use blankets and layers of clothing instead of heat. Hot drinks work nicely too. Also, for about $20 at Amazon.com, Lasko makes a Ceramic Personal Space Heater that will keep you toasty warm for pennies a day.

- Some grocery stores have a "damaged food" shelf. Here there are dented cans or apples with bruises, but otherwise fine food which is sold for cheap.

- Some restaurants have "meal deals" where you can buy a combination of items and get it all at a reduced price. The food will last you several meals.

- Bulk up on inexpensive carbs like pasta, couscous, beans, rice and lentils.

- Shop for fruits and vegetables in season. You probably don't need watermelon in December!

- Stock up for the day with sugar, ketchup, honey, napkins and cups . . . anything like that’s in the condiment stand in a restaurant.

- Shop independent thrift shops, The Salvation Army and Goodwill for clothes. Hand-me-downs from family and friends are awesome too!

- Get your water at a friend's house or a fast food soda fountain instead of buying bottles.

- Shower at a friend's house or occasionally check into a gym by getting a day pass – some offer them for free just to try out the gym. Go work out for a few minutes and then use their shower. Many already have soap and shampoo in them as well.
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A Cluttered House

2011-11-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

By Caryll Houselander

"To be rich is to live in an overcrowded house, a house of life overcrowded with false values; they encumber like useless heirlooms. They ought to be thrown out of the windows but the courage and the virility to do this are lacking . . .

"Poverty is like one room. The windows are open, the sun comes in, the walls are whitewashed, there are one or two books chosen for our delight, they are read and re-read; if there is a picture it is one bought at the cost of sacrifice because it is a real joy, we see it because there is no bric-a-brac to distract from it. There is one earthenware pot that holds water, and the wild flowers know in it their affinity to earth and rain. This room is a workroom, in it we learn the joy of good work, done well, and of the real charity, the fellow-feeling, of working with others. We share the dreams, the ardors and the endurances of other people; we have the key to love.

" ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ says Christ. ‘For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ This is true, all the other Beatitudes promise future blessedness, but this one gives the loveliest of all, here and now, the kingdom of heaven, which in this life, is known in the wonder and realization of life and beauty, in the keenness of the mind and of the senses, in the power of selection and in the response of the unspoilt spirit to God and man. "

Caryll Houselander (+ 1954) was a British mystic, poet and spiritual teacher.

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Walking Advertisements

2011-10-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

As we walk through our city streets, the primary place where the wealthy live and work, the homeless that we see on street corners, outside of shopping centers and pushing their carts down busy thoroughfares are walking advertisements. What are they advertising? They are proliferous lot of messages from God who cries out for the wealthy to have a heart. For it is so: without a heart of love, one cannot see God.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20
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My Prayer

2011-10-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

I asked God for strength that I might achieve,
I was made weak that I might learn obedience.

I asked for health that I might do great things,
I was given infirmity that I may do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy,
I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have praise,
I was given weakness that I may be humble.

I asked for all these things that I might enjoy life,
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for, but received everything I had hoped for. I am among all most blessed!

More on the Internet at: http://thehomelesspresident.wordpress.com
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Pay What You Can Restaurant

2011-10-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

Recently, Associated Press writer Wayne Parry reported on the opening of Jon Bon Jovi's charity restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey. It is here that The Soul Kitchen, a "pay-what-you-can" restaurant opened that he and his wife Dorothea established in a former auto body shop in central New Jersey.

The restaurant provides gourmet-quality meals to the hungry while enabling them to volunteer on community projects in return without the stigma of visiting a soup kitchen. Paying customers are encouraged to leave whatever they want in the envelopes on each table, where the menus never list a price.

The restaurant is the latest undertaking by the New Jersey rocker's Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which has built 260 homes for low-income residents in recent years.

"With the economic downturn, one of the things I noticed was that disposable income was one of the first things that went," Bon Jovi told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday before the restaurant's grand opening ceremony. "Dining out, the family going out to a restaurant, mom not having to cook, dad not having to clean up — a lot of memories were made around restaurant tables.

"When I learned that one in six people in this country goes to bed hungry, I thought this was the next phase of the Foundation's work," he said.

It started several years ago when Dorothea Bongiovi (she uses the legal spelling of her husband's name) and Jon started helping out at a food pantry at nearby St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church. They later moved their focus to the Lunch Break program, which feeds 80 to 120 people a day, dubbing it "The Soul Kitchen."

They brought that name with them to a former auto body shop down the street from the Count Basie Theater, where Jon and his band have played many fundraising shows for local charities.

It took a year and $250,000, but the restaurant now rivals any of its competitors in trendy Red Bank, with entrees like cornmeal crusted catfish with red beans and rice, grilled chicken breast with homemade basil mayo and rice pilaf, and grilled salmon with soul seasonings, sweet potato mash and sauteed greens, many of which were grown in the herb and vegetable garden right outside the restaurant's doors.

Bon Jovi, who has a home in next-door Middletown, is adamant about one thing.

"This is not a soup kitchen," he emphasizes. "You can come here with the dignity of linens and silver, and you're served a healthy, nutritious meal. This is not burgers and fries."
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Who is Homeless?

2011-10-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

By the National Coalition for the Homeless

Here are a few facts about the homeless in America:

DEMOGRAPHICS: Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty. Persons living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless, and demographic groups who are more likely to experience poverty are also more likely to experience homelessness.

AGE: In 2003, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population. This same study found that unaccompanied minors comprised 5% of the urban homeless population.

GENDER: Most studies show that single homeless adults are more likely to be male than female - 67.5% of the single homeless population is male, and it is this single population that makes up 76% of the homeless populations surveyed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007).

FAMILIES: The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. In its 2007 survey of 23 American cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families with children comprised 23% of the homeless population.

ETHNICITY: In its 2006 survey of 25 cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that the sheltered homeless population is estimated to be 42 percent African-American, 38 percent white, 20 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Native American and 2 percent Asian.

VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. A 2003 survey of 100 homeless mothers in 10 locations around the country found that 25% of the women had been physically abused in the last year (American Civil Liberties Union, 2004).

VETERANS: Research indicates that 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces, as compared to 34% of the general adult population (Rosenheck et al., 1996).

PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS: Persons with severe mental illness represented about 26 percent of all sheltered homeless persons (Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, 2008). According to the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness, only 5-7% of homeless persons with mental illness require institutionalization.

PERSONS SUFFERING FROM ADDICTION DISORDERS: Among surveyed homeless people 38% have an alcohol problem, and 26% report problems with other drugs (National Health Care for the Homeless Council). [Usually this is caused by inadequate access to mental health care and “self-medication” becomes the primary choice to experience relief.]

IMPLICATIONS: As this fact sheet makes clear, people who become homeless do not fit one general description. However, people experiencing homelessness do have certain shared basic needs, including affordable housing, adequate incomes, and health care. Some homeless people may need additional services such as mental health or drug treatment in order to remain securely housed. All of these needs must be met to prevent and to end homelessness.
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True Religion is to be Found Amongst the Poor

2011-10-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Notable quotes from St. Vincent de Paul . . .

Go to the poor: you will find God. - St Vincent de Paul

It is from your hands that Our Lord, in the person of the sick, seeks relief. - St Vincent de Paul

Lord, help me to make time today to serve you in those who are most in need of encouragement or assistance. - St Vincent de Paul

Let us love God my brothers, let us love God. But let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brow. - St Vincent de Paul

Outpourings of affection for God, of resting in his presence, of good feelings toward everyone and sentiments and prayers like these ... are suspect if they do not express themselves in practical love which has real effects. - St Vincent de Paul

In spite of my age (79), I tell you before God that I do not feel excused from the responsibility of working for the salvation of the poor. For what could really get in the way of my doing that now? If I cannot preach every day, all right, I'll preach twice a week. If I cannot preach more important sermons, I will preach less important ones. If the congregation cannot hear me at a distance, what is to prevent me from speaking in an informal, more familiar way to those poor just as I am speaking to you right now? What is to hinder me from gathering them near me just as you are sitting around me now? - St Vincent de Paul

When you are called from your prayers or the Eucharistic celebration to serve the poor, you lose nothing, since to serve the poor is to go to God. You must see God in the faces of the poor. - St Vincent de Paul

The poor have much to teach you. You have much to learn from them. - St Vincent de Paul

The net result of my experience on the matter is the judgment I have formed, that true religion - true religion, Gentlemen, true religion [according to the Letter of James] is to be found amongst the poor. - St Vincent de Paul

The poor are your masters. You are the servant. - St Vincent de Paul

Let us, my sisters, cherish the poor as our masters, since Our Lord is in them, and they are in Our Lord. - St Vincent de Paul
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Love Fulfills the Law - No Need for a Lawyer in Heaven

2011-10-13T11:06:00.001-07:00

“This is my commandment that you love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12

[The law of freedom] it says to man: “You will love the Lord with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your mind and above all things, and your neighbor as yourself for the love of God.”

Translated: “You will love God more than anything else, and to love him, you will love others as yourself.”

For the Christian, it is impossible to love God without loving humanity; it is impossible to love humanity without loving other people; and it is impossible to love other people, without loving the people he knows, with a concrete and active love . . .
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Homelessness, a Saving Vocation?

2011-10-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

God brought salvation to the world, metaphorically speaking, through homeless people. Adam and Eve were homeless when they were expelled from their home in the Garden of Eden. Abraham was a homeless nomad and Moses, after all those years in the wilderness experienced homelessness too. The Jews have perpetually suffered homelessness, especially in the wilderness, then during the Babylonian captivity and most recently, for 2,000 years when having no homeland up to the founding of their new home after WW II.

Lastly and most importantly, the Savior of the world was homeless too – Jesus, as well as his mother and father - Mary and Joseph while on the road for the census and then again on the road to Egypt. Jesus was homeless during the three years of his public ministry too.

Question: Today, how does God bring salvation to the world through those around us who are homeless?
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Who are the wicked? They are the ones who do not see the poor.

2011-10-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

He sins who despises the hungry, but happy is he who is kind to the poor! Proverbs 14:21

Psalm 112

Praise the Lord! Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.

The righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

"He who has compassion on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his good deed." Proverbs 19:17
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Were Adam and Eve Homeless?

2011-10-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Throughout human history, homelessness is more common than one would think. The reality is that in most cases even today as it was so long ago, homelessness is usually a temporary circumstance -- not a permanent condition. A more appropriate measure of the magnitude of homelessness is to look at the number of people who experience homelessness over time, not the number of “homeless people” who permanently live that way. In that case, the numbers are staggering.

Today, a new quiz poll and survey is launched – Which Bible personalities experienced homelessness? For example, were Adam and Eve homeless? How about Abraham and Moses, or Mary and Joseph? If so, what might be the spiritual message hidden in the historicity of their lives and their stories?

Please scroll to near the bottom of this main page and participate in this new survey. God bless you and thank you for participating in all the polls posted below.
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The Blessed Pain of the Homeless and all who Suffer Greatly

2011-10-03T23:23:00.001-07:00

By St. Padre Pio

Jesus tells me that in love it is he who delights me, while in suffering, on the other hand, it is I who give pleasure to him. Now, to desire good health would mean seeking happiness for myself instead of trying to comfort Jesus.

Your most perfect prayer is your pure suffering united to Me and My Mother. The prayer of pure suffering is the sweetest fragrance that reaches and delights the Heart of our Father. This is also the prayer that produces an abundance of fruit. This is the prayer that is most united to Mine as I intercede before the throne of My Father.

Yes, I love the cross, the cross alone; I love it because I see it always on Jesus' shoulders. By this time Jesus is well aware that my entire life, my whole heart is consecrated to him and to his sufferings.

Ah, dear Father, pardon me for using this sort of language; Jesus alone can understand what I suffer when the painful scene of Calvary is enacted before my eyes. It is equally incomprehensible how Jesus can be consoled not merely by those who sympathize with his torments, but when he finds a soul who for love of him asks no consolations and only wants to be allowed to share in his sufferings.

When Jesus wants to make me understand that he loves me, he permits me to relish the wounds, the thorns, the anguish of his Passion. When he wants me to rejoice, he fills my heart with that spirit which is all fire and he speaks to me of his delights. But when he wants to be delighted, he speaks to me of his sufferings, he invites me in a tone which is both a request and a command to offer my body that his sufferings may be alleviated.

Who could resist him? I realize that I have made him suffer exceedingly by my failings that I have made him weep too much by my ingratitude, that I have offended him too grievously. I want nobody but Jesus, I desire nothing else (which is Jesus' own desire) that his sufferings. Allow me to say it, since no one can hear us, I am ready even to be deprived forever of the tendernesses which Jesus lavishes on me, I am prepared to bear his hiding his beautiful eyes from men as long as he does not hide from me his love, for this would cause my death.

(Saint Padre Pio (+ 1968) was an Italian Capuchin priest who suffered greatly the bleeding wounds of Christ in his own flesh for much of his life. He also suffered the despisement of many who hated him and imprisoned him for many years in his own monastery under the orders of holy obedience.)
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Never Judge

2011-09-30T22:38:00.001-07:00

St. Benedict Labre was born March 26, 1748 at Amettes, France. He was the oldest child in a family of 15 children. In his later teenage years, he tried to enter various Trappist, Carthusian, and Cistercian monasteries. In some, he was allowed to enter but did not persevere according to their standards. Some say it was due to either his health or his unyielding desire to be totally destitute that prevented him from staying in any one monastery. Sometimes, upon his return home, his family merely said, “We told you so.” He soon left home again, and the last word his parents received from him was that he was headed to Rome to find and enter a rigorous religious order.

After he arrived at Rome, St. Benedict seemed to have received a special illumination as to what his vocation would be–he felt called to make a perpetual pilgrimage to the famous sites of Europe. He wore only the shabbiest apparel, slept on the ground, and never begged for money unless he was sick. He carried two rosaries, a Bible, a breviary, and The Imitation of Christ. Upon Benedict’s entry into a confessional, the priest would often have to brace himself against the homeless odor of sweat and dirt.

Sores on his knees attested to his long hours of prayer. Sometimes, his body would levitate while he was praying. Soon, his intense austerities took their toll. Benedict died on April 16, 1783; he was 35 years old. Leo XIII canonized him in 1881, and his feast day is April 16th.

A couple of years ago, there was a young man twenty-something living homeless in downtown Los Angeles by the name of Nathan. He felt his vocation in life was to be homeless and to minister to other homeless people. After hearing the story of St. Benedict Labre, we probably should not judge.
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Just Some Famous People Who Were Homeless

2011-09-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

Jesus:
The founder of Christianity who was born homeless in a barn and died homeless in a borrowed grave . . . In his own words Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58)

Ella Fitzgerald:
Grammy Award-winning singer and U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient . . . She lived on the streets of Harlem in New York City for a year as a teenager just before she won an amateur singing talent contest at the Apollo Theater that launched her career.

Jewel:
She is a Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter who in 1979 lived out of a VW van and was joined eventually by her mother/manager Lenedra Carroll. In her own words she said, "I was homeless when I was 18." (TV Guide magazine, March 16-22, 2009, pg. 9)

David Letterman:
He is an Emmy Award-winning television writer, comedian, talk-show host and author. As host of the television talk-show Late Show with David Letterman, he once lived out of a red 1973 Chevy pickup truck before making it in his television career.

"Dr. Phil" (Phil McGraw):
He is a well-known TV talk show host, best-selling author and psychologist. At the age of 12, he was homeless in Kansas City, Kansas after he and his father moved there. His dad was struggling to make it as he himself interned as a psychologist. In his own words, Dr. Phil once said, “I was homeless living in a car with my dad. We eventually got a room at the downtown YMCA for five bucks a week.”

Joan Rivers:
She is an Emmy Award-winning television talk-show host who frequently guest hosted the Tonight Show for Johnny Carson. She is a best-selling author, comedienne and once lived homeless early on in her career out of her car.

William Shatner:
The star and face of the Star Trek “cult”, he is an Emmy Award-winning actor-director and best-selling Canadian-born author. He once lived out of a pick-up truck with a walk-in camper on the back for a time after his divorce due to financial difficulties and after the cancellation of the television series Star Trek, in which he starred. He travelled in that time the east coast of the U.S. appearing in a play on the summer theater circuit and sleeping in the camper with his dog. Shatner said, "I now had three children and an ex-wife to support and I was just about broke. I even lived out of a pick-up truck for a while." (DailyMail.co.uk, May 11, 2008)
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Why did Jesus have to Die?

2011-09-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Why did Jesus have to die? How did he cleanse us from sin? The Bible refers to Jesus as the “unblemished lamb,” (Cf. 1 Peter 1:19) meaning he was pure and holy, made of pure love and charity. As a result, he had to suffer and die and thereby be a perpetual example of authentic love and forgiveness for all those who are to be saved. In his own person and by his own illustration, he became a living sacrifice, a living beacon of love that, by the power of his Spirit at work in the world for all ages to come after his ascension, he can also transform all those who believe in him into similar models of love, forgiveness and charity. He therefore reconciled us to God doing in his own person what the law could not do.

Why did he have to die the most brutal death possible? Because in that death he could forever show us the way to heaven – the way of forgiveness and the life of charity that unites us with the Father, who is love himself and through Christ makes us his adopted sons and daughters.

How did he cleanse us from sin? He reconciled us to God by putting a new heart within us, a new Spirit – sanctifying us with a Spirit of love, charity, mercy and forgiveness (Cf. Ezekiel 36:26). In the Old Testament, those who lived under the times of the law could not do that. But now he has reconciled us to God the Father by placing us under the law of mercy, for “Judgment is without mercy to those who have shown no mercy, yet mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Ultimately, Jesus died because as C. S. Lewis states in Mere Christianity, he had to pay our debt through his pure love and charity. That is to say that no one could pay but him the cost of the debt we human sinners had accrued - similar to when a judge sets the amount of a fine. The fine is to pay for the cost of the crime, the transgression committed. That is what Jesus did for us, he paid the debt, the cost, because otherwise none of us could have afforded it. The debt was beyond our capacity to pay.
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Lord, Give Me a Heart of Flesh

2011-09-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

"A new heart will I give you and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will take away the stony heart and give you a heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 36:26

“Lord, give me a heart of flesh,
To hear your words your love,
I’ve had a heart of stone for so long,
And teach me how to listen close,
And where to hear your voice,
Now Lord, before I sing my song.” Joe Wise, from A New Day

“Some of your hearts are not worth keeping! The sooner you get rid of them the better. They are hearts of stone. Do you feel today that you have a stony heart? Go home, and I pray the Lord hear my desire that your polluted heart may be removed. Cry unto God and say, “Take away my heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh;” (Ezek 11:19, 36:26) for a stony heart is an impure heart, a divided heart, an unpeaceful heart. It is a heart that is poor and poverty–stricken, a heart that is void of all goodness, and you can neither bless yourself or others, if your heart be such.” Charles Spurgeon + 1892
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Your Light will Break Forth Like the Dawn

2011-09-20T03:33:00.001-07:00

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor homeless with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." Isaiah 58:6-7

“For freedom, Christ has set us free.” Galatians 5:1

Jesus Christ is our true liberator. We pray to him:

R Free your people, Lord!

For those who are called by your name in foreign lands and who are unjustly bound and tortured, we pray: R

For those who are called by your name in the land of the free and who are unjustly oppressed because of the good they do, we pray: R

For those who are trapped in homelessness, hunger, cold, thirst and nakedness, we pray: R

For those who are imprisoned in stony hearts from wealth, arrogance, self-righteousness and pride, we pray: R
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I Pity the Fool: A legendary actor uses his Christian faith to help motivate and inspire people to help the homeless

2011-09-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

By Mr. T

“My celebrity status allows me an opportunity, allows me a pulpit to preach and reach out to the people. Not even always preaching but just leading, motivating them by being a leader.

“In Los Angeles I take food and clothes to the Midnight Mission the homeless shelter. Ever since ‘Rocky,’ I've gone down there quietly—I never call the press and say, ‘See me helping the people!’
“My mother told me, ‘Son, nobody else but God knows.’ And that’s what I’m about—reaching out to the people, crying with them, giving them hope. Visiting the hospital, visiting the kids with cancer, visiting the adults, and stuff like that. That’s what I do. And so the show sort of reflects those things, and gives me an opportunity to raise people’s spirits, inspire them to help others, to give them hope.

“The show is called ‘I Pity the Fool’, but we’re not calling nobody a fool--everybody knows that that’s my saying. It's not derogatory in no way, I guarantee that when people see the show they’re going to be surprised and they’re going to be hooked because it’s nothing like what people think. It’s a reality show [but] we’re not eating worms, we’re not naked, we’re not having sex with nobody, we’re not wrestling pigs and stuff like that. It’s me doing my thing, but this time the cameras are with me.

“I use my celebrity status to inspire someone, to give them hope. I tell them where I grew up—on the South Side of Chicago. I tell them how I was born and raised in the ghetto, but the ghetto wasn’t born and raised in me. About how I loved and respected my mother, how my mother used to teach us to bless our food, and reminded us to be thankful for what we had. She said if you can appreciate what little you have, God will give you more. And that’s what I think happened when I look back on my life.”

More on the Internet: http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Celebrities/Words-Of-Wisdom-From-Mr-T.aspx
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When a House is not a Home: In a broken home, homelessness is more common than you think

2011-09-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

By Burt Bacharach, 1964

A chair is still a chair
Even when there's no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house
And a house is not a home
When there's no one there to hold you tight,
And no one there you can kiss good night.

A room is still a room
Even when there's nothing there but gloom;
But a room is not a house,
And a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart.

Now and then I call your name
And suddenly your face appears
But it's just a crazy game
When it ends it ends in tears.

Darling, have a heart,
Don't let one mistake keep us apart.
I'm not meant to live alone. Turn this house into a home.
When I climb the stair and turn the key,
Oh, please be there still in love with me.

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Through Mountain and Valley, Slope and Cliff, Thorn and Thicket, He will lead us all Home

2011-09-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun, and from the land of the setting sun. (Zechariah 8:7)

Some at times can feel and sense the futility, the monotony of our exile here on earth while we yet work another day, commute another time, work hard and perform the same daily rituals at home. Hopelessness can easily overwhelm a person, especially leaving them with a sense of “homelessness,” that is until our soul comes home to rest in God, the one who made us and to whom we are going.

[Jesus said . . .] “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’” Luke 15:4-6

The Lord is my shepherd and he will lead me home. Through mountain and valley, slope and cliff, thorn and thicket, he will lead us all home. In hope let us pray . . .

R Lead your people home!

For those who live on the streets, in the shelters, under bridges, on beaches, in parks and in the alleyways of our cities. R

For those left homeless by tornados, hurricanes, floods, fire, earthquakes and war. R

For those who have abandoned home, spouse, children, mother, father, friends and family. R

For those who have wandered from the church of their heritage. R

May the Lord, our Shepherd confirm our adoption with the Father and lead us to our heavenly homeland. Amen!

Wealth, Conversation, Wrath and Anger

2011-09-06T08:22:00.001-07:00

For the sake of profit many sin, and the struggle for wealth blinds the eyes. A stake will be driven between fitted stones— sin will be wedged in between buying and selling.

Unless one holds fast to the fear of the Lord, with sudden swiftness will one’s house be thrown down.

When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do people’s faults when they speak. The furnace tests the potter’s vessels; the test of a person is in conversation.

The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so speech discloses the bent of a person’s heart. Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.

If you strive after justice, you will attain it, and wear it like a splendid robe. Birds nest with their own kind, and honesty comes to those who work at it.

A lion lies in wait for prey, so does sin for evildoers. The conversation of the godly is always wisdom, but the fool changes like the moon.

Limit the time you spend among the stupid, but frequent the company of the thoughtful. The conversation of fools is offensive, and their laughter is wanton sin . . .

Whoever has shifty eyes plots mischief and those who know him will keep their distance; in your presence he uses honeyed talk, and admires your words, but later he changes his tone and twists the words to your ruin. I have hated many things but not as much as him, and the Lord hates him as well. A stone falls back on the head of the one who throws it high, and a treacherous blow causes many wounds.

Whoever digs a pit falls into it, and whoever lays a snare is caught in it. The evil anyone does will recoil on him without knowing how it came upon him. Mockery and abuse will befall the arrogant, and vengeance lies in wait for them like a lion.

Those who rejoice in the downfall of the godly will be caught in a snare, and pain will consume them before they die. Wrath and anger, these also are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them.

Sirach 27 - 28
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Those Who are Forgiven Much Should Love Much

2011-09-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

By Simon Tugwell

Our Lord gives us a severe warning in his parable of the servant who owed his master an incredibly large sum of money and was let off (Matthew 18:23ff). The fact that we refer to it as the parable of the unforgiving servant already lays us open to the danger of misunderstanding it. Our Lord presents it, not as a story about servants, but as a story about their master. It was because he was too concerned about himself that the first servant, having been let off his enormous debt, went straight out to demand payment from one of his fellow servants. We are not told what was going on in his mind, but it is easy to guess. Presumably he had been worried to distraction by his colossal debt, and came into his master’s presence thinking only of that, only of his own prospects. When he had heard that all was remitted, he did not give a thought to his master’s generosity, he went away still thinking of himself; and feeling shaky and in need of reassurance, he went off, as we so often do, to take it out on somebody else, to restore his self-esteem by the exercise of power. He had missed the essential point of what had happened to him . . . Forgiveness, then, is something to do with the penetration of the totality of God’s life into our fallen world . . . The center of forgiveness is God himself.

Fr. Simon Tugwell is Dominican priest and the author of several books, including The Beatitudes: Soundings in Christian Traditions.

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Quench Our Thirst

2011-08-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

In June was the month of the Summer Solstice. And the Summer Solstice means that the days begin growing shorter and the evenings longer. But cool weather is still a long way off. A typical summer high for my area of San Luis Obispo, California can be as high as 102 degrees. That’s awfully hot!

One important lesson I learned while being homeless was the need to remain hydrated – particularly during the summer season. I’d become dehydrated on a couple of occasions and then had to deal with the consequences – which believe it or not, can last for several days afterward.

Once the human body dehydrates it can take a while for it to become sufficiently re-hydrated again. It isn’t as though you can just drink a few glasses of water and everything goes back to normal. That’s not the way it works. Because dehydration occurs at the cellular level, it can take some time for the body’s cells to reacquire the fluids they’ve lost. In some extreme instances, dehydration requires hospitalization and fluid replenishment by way of IV.

One of the disadvantages that so many homeless in our nation face – especially during the summer – is the lack of access to drinking water. Subsequently, most homeless persons actually spend most of the summer months in a constant state of partial dehydration.

Most of us, when we feel thirsty, can simply walk over to the kitchen sink, turn on the tap and fill a glass with water. During the day, as we go about our business, we can always stop somewhere and buy ourselves a bottle of water. At work, we can go to the water dispenser or water fountain and "quench our thirst." The homeless, however, do not have those options.

It’s true that there are numerous public buildings where a homeless person can find a water fountain, and yes, there are even public parks. And, of course, the homeless can get water at the homeless shelters or other homeless support services agencies. But access to those facilities is still limited. Homeless shelters generally aren’t accessible until after a certain time in the evening. Public buildings are only open during business hours.

Most of us have, at one time or another, seen a homeless person sitting in the shade somewhere during the summer months. But how often do we stop to think about whether that person may be thirsty? How often do we offer to buy them a bottle of water? In the long run, it is less costly to buy a bottle of water for a homeless person than it is to be hit up for homeless ER bills that ultimately get written off by a hospital and are passed on to taxpayers.

It’s an inexpensive price to pay to do the right thing!

Excerpt from http://slohomeless.wordpress.com - one man's insights into the ups and downs of homelessness.
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In the Words of Jesus and Paul

2011-08-28T04:28:00.001-07:00

Jesus said it . . .

"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." ~Mathew 25:35-36

Paul confirmed it . . .

“Love never fails.” ~1 Corinthians 13:12
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The Roar of the Crowd

2011-08-24T04:55:00.000-07:00

The Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup takes place from 21-28 August 2011 at the Champs de Mars, Paris, France. 64 National Football Teams, (including the U.S.) comprising homeless and socially marginalized players from across the world will unite for seven days of gritty, fast paced street soccer.

For the players taking part the tournament represents an unlikely opportunity to achieve a dream shared by millions; to wear their national colors with pride, represent their country on the pitch and enjoy the admiration of the crowd. Players who previously lived on the outskirts of society find acceptance, understanding and the courage to re-evaluate their lives.

The vast majority of participants go on to rebuild relationships with family and friends, overcome addictions and find accommodation, education and employment. Some have even become professional coaches and players.

The year’s tournament is supported by legendary Arsenal FC manager Arsène Wenger and ex-France international footballers Lilian Thuram and Emmanuelle Petit, both World Cup winners.

Since the first Homeless World Cup first took place in Graz, Austria in 2003 research has consistently demonstrated that over 70% players change their lives after participating in the tournament.

As the Homeless World Cup annual tournament approaches its tenth year it continues to influence spectators, media and governments to change their opinions and approaches toward the issue of homelessness. To date more than 70 grass roots football programs have been triggered worldwide.

Mel Young, President and co-Founder of the Homeless World Cup said: “The Homeless World Cup exists to end homelessness. The impact of this competition is profound. It has engaged over 100,000 homeless people since it started with participants changing their lives for the better.

“The Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup is an opportunity for homeless people to move from being invisible to stand proud on a global stage, and to be true ambassadors for their country.”
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Homeless Encounters of the Heavenly Kind

2011-08-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Interestingly, the weekend was filled with homeless encounters of the heavenly kind! On Saturday, our team was in front of Macy’s gaining $5 donations for the homeless in exchange for a Macy’s fundraising program booklet called, “Shop for a Cause.” In the hustle and bustle of busy shopper lives, all totaled, after talking to 100s of people and 100s of rejections, we received seven $5 donations from our team of four canvassing at two doors. In spite of all of the negativity and cold reception, “Rosemary” is one giver who will remain etched in our memories forever.

As she approached from the parking lot, we said, “Maam, would you like to donate $5 to help the homeless and then receive a passport to shop at Macy’s all day, Shop for a Cause and get 25 percent off everything?” She replied, “My name is Rosemary and I was nearly homeless at one time. I volunteer at a center that helps those with addictions. I would be happy to help out.” Next, she opened her purse and dumped out the last money she had in change. She said, “I don’t have any money, but I have a bunch of coins, it was going to be my laundry money. Here take it and use it for the homeless.”

Immediately we recognized her as the woman in Jesus’ story, you know the woman who in her poverty gave her last penny. Rosemary gave $5 in laundry quarters and her last nickels and pennies in the purse, totaling over five dollars in coins. We could only imagine how God smiled and saw the great heart of compassion modeled after his son.

On Sunday, after walking out of the front door of a grocery store, a petite, quite short and elderly woman approached asking for gas money. “Where is your car maam? Let’s go and get some gas.” I replied. After driving a couple of blocks to the Circle K, her late model and battered car barely made it to the station. As we pumped the gas a thought came to mind. “Maam, let’s offer this tank of gas for Ryan. He was 19 when he died last year of a lethal alcohol and drug mix-up at a friend’s house.” She was touched. After the gas was pumped she inquired, “I am so grateful! What can I do for you?” I replied, “How about praying for Ryan? He needs our prayers.” She agreed. We walked over to the Servants of the Father of Mercy car and loaded her up with many rosaries and Divine Mercy prayers cards for her and her family. Her sister is on life support in LA and she herself lives out of the car, sleeping on side streets each night.
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Home is not Simply Four Walls and a Roof

2011-08-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

Going faster and faster is the sickness of our time, isn't it? Nowadays it's easy to miss the present and live in the future. Thus, one can be blind to the poor and the broken. But just as easily, one can become blind to a suffering sibling, a hurting parent or even a sick child. For many, a house is no longer a home. As a result, it can be said that many Americans are homeless in the most obsessed, compulsive, unusual and subtle of ways. Home is not simply four walls and a roof. So what makes a home . . .

"By the time a child comes to the age of reason, “home” with all its order, happiness and beauty, means just one thing to him: certainty. In this respect home is to him precisely what God is to him. It is safe and certain and permanent, not simply because it is a house with four walls and a roof, but because it is built on the rock of love, his parent's love for God, and for one another, and for him." Caryll Houselander

The Shelter of the Lord

He who dwells in the shelter of the Lord will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the compensation of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, your refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. "With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation." Psalm 91
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What is the right amount of "stuff"?

2011-08-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am generally repulsed by the teaching of the so-called “prosperity gospel” which is the other of the two extremes. I have always wondered how people in very poor countries felt when they see satellite broadcasts of preachers telling them that if they aren’t wealthy then they have too much sin in their lives; if they were truly following God they would be leading a lavish lifestyle. I find no basis in Scripture for this teaching, and in fact find Jesus teaching a message that is exactly the opposite. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor”. He commanded a rich young man to sell all of his possessions. When Christ called the twelve disciples to follow Him, He required that they leave everything behind. The Bible does not teach a gospel of prosperity but rather of earthly poverty that will be exchanged for heavenly glory. Don’t get caught in the trap of the “health and wealth” preachers. I’m not certain of their motivation, but I am certain of the devastation of their false doctrine.

As I have said before, I have no corner on the truth but I will share what I believe is the proper balance in answer to the question of, “How much is enough?” I believe if we will live humbly before God and seek to live a life that is patterned after His that we will be able to discern what the right amount of “stuff” is for us to own on this planet. We are called to care for the needs of those in poverty, to feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty. If we will make these things the top priority for the money with which we are entrusted, I think the rest will take care of itself. We should live a simple lifestyle so that we can free up as many resources as possible to devote caring for those around us. As God blesses us with more and more, it is our duty as His servants to take that money and use it in His service, for His glory. We should always think of the needs of another before our own. I see no issue with taking care of our needs; it’s when we cross from “need” to “want” that we must be on guard as to how we spend the money we have been given. (Excerpted from “Even if I Walk Alone”: http://www.evenifiwalkalone.com)
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Making us Conscious of our Unworthiness

2011-08-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

By Saint John Vianney

If we have frequently the misfortune to be caught in the snares of the devil, we must look for the cause of this misfortune in the fact, that we rely too much on our own principles and ideas, and too little on our dear Lord. This is only too true. So long as nothing goes against us, so long as all our wishes are fulfilled, so long we are inclined to believe that nothing could cause us to fall; but we forget our own nothingness and our miserable weakness; we make the most fervent promises, and say that we would rather die than fall into temptation. An excellent example of this fact is furnished us by St. Peter, who said to our Lord: "Though all men shall be scandalized in Thee, I shall never be scandalized." To show how insignificant a being man is when he relies upon himself alone, the Lord did not use as a medium a king or prince, but merely the voice of a servant-maid. One moment St. Peter was willing to give his life for the Lord, and the next he denied all knowledge of Him; yes, was even willing to swear to it.

O my Lord, what are we not capable of when left to ourselves! There are people who, according to what they say, seem to envy the saints, who took such heavy penances upon themselves. These same people think that it would be easy to do as much as these saints. When they read the life of a martyr, they say that they would be willing to suffer as much for the honor and glory of our dear Lord. What is the suffering of a moment, they say, in view of the eternal reward!

Now, what does God do to bring us to a knowledge of ourselves, to make us conscious of our unworthiness? He allows the devil to approach us. Look at that Christian, who envied those saints who were living on roots and herbs, and who made the heroic resolution to chastise his body with the same hardships; but, lo! a slight headache, the prick of a needle, causes him to break out in loud lamentations. Here he was ready to undergo all the penances the anchorites inflicted upon themselves, and there he is in despair over a little mishap. Look at that other one, who wishes to appear to be willing to devote his whole life to the service of God, no matter what torments he might have to encounter. And, behold, a calumny, a slander, yea, even only a cold reception or a slight wrong with which he meets, brings forth in his heart such a feeling of hatred of revenge and of dislike that he will not even look at his neighbor, and tries in every possible way to demonstrate what is uppermost in his heart. O my brethren, how little are we, and how wrong it is for us to rely upon our fine resolutions!

You see, then, my friends, that temptation is necessary to convince our mind of our unworthiness, and to prevent pride from becoming master over us. Now, you may think that the people who are the most tempted, are the drunkards, the slanderers, the unchaste, who wallow in the mire of their shame, or perhaps the misers. No, my brethren, these are not the people who are tempted the most. On the contrary, the devil may even try to restrain them, for fear that they may not live long enough to do evil and help cast souls into hell by their bad example. St. Augustine teaches us that the devil does not tempt such people particularly: he rather despises and neglects them.

But, you will say, who is it that is most tempted? I will tell you, and please give me your whole attention. It is those who are willing, with the grace of God, to. sacrifice everything for their poor soul, who are willing to renounce all those things which are generally striven for with great eagerness in this world. It is not only one devil who tempts them, but there are millions of them who try to ensnare them.

The first temptation, my brethren, which the devil prepares for those who have begun to be more zealous in the service of God, is the fear of man. They are afraid to show themselves. They shun those persons whose society they formerly frequented. If they are told that they have changed very much, they are ashamed! The question, "What will be said of me?" haunts them so, that they have no more courage to do good before the world. If the devil is unable to win them over through the fear of man, he excites in them extraordinary scruples. They are afraid that their confessions were not good; that their confessor does not understand them; that they are working in vain; that they will be lost anyhow; that they would gain just as much if they did not take any trouble.

Why, my brethren, is a person not tempted as long as he lives in sin and never thinks of his soul's salvation, while, on the other hand, as soon as he changes his life, that is to say, as soon as he desires to give himself to God, hell is let loose upon him? Listen to St. Augustine: "This is the behavior of the devil toward a sinner: He acts like a jailer who has several prisoners shut up in his prison. He leaves them quietly alone, because he has the key in his pocket, and he is convinced that they can not break out. This is his behavior toward a sinner who does not think of leaving his sins: He does not trouble himself to tempt them. He would consider it as so much lost time; because he not only does not dream of letting them go, but he loads them with more chains. It would be so unnecessary to tempt them, he lets them live in peace, if one in mortal sin can have any peace. He hides their condition from them as much as possible until their death; but then presents to them the most frightful image of their life, so as to throw them into despair. But a person who has decided to change his way of living, and to give himself to God, that is quite another matter." While St. Augustine lived in the state of sin, he hardly knew what it was to be tempted. He thought he was in peace, as he relates of himself; but, from the moment that he wanted to turn his back upon the devil, he had to struggle with the devil until he nearly lost his breath; and this continued for five years. He shed the bitterest tears, and performed the most severe penances. "I struggled with him," he says, "in my imprisonment. At one moment I thought I was victorious; the next day I was defeated. This cruel and stubborn fight lasted five years. Then," he says, "God gave me the grace to triumph over my enemy."

These, my brethren, are the struggles which God permits His saints to undergo. Ah, my brethren, how much are we to be pitied when we are not violently tempted by the devil! According to all appearances, we are friends of the devil. He lets us live in a false peace. He lets us slumber under the pretense that we have accomplished so much good, that we have given alms, and that we have practised less wickedness than others. In fact, my brethren, ask any frequenter of the saloons if the devil tempts him. He will answer simply: "No; he does not bother me in the least." Ask the vain girl what struggles she has? She will tell you smilingly that she has none; that she does not know what it is to be tempted. You see, then, my brethren, this is the worst of all temptations: Not to be tempted; that is the state of the soul which the devil has prepared for hell. If I might say so, he is careful not to tempt them for fear of recalling their past life and causing them to think of their sins.

I said just now, my brethren, that it is the greatest misfortune for a Christian not to be tempted, for we have good reasons for believing that the devil looks upon him as his own property, and that he awaits only the moment of his death to plunge him into hell. Nothing is easier of comprehension. Look at a Christian who works ever so little for the salvation of his soul. Everything that surrounds him incites him to evil. He can not even open his eyes sometimes without being tempted, in spite of all his prayers and works of penance. And an old sinner, who has perhaps been wallowing in sin for twenty years, will tell you that he is not tempted. Well, so much the worse for you, my friend, so much the worse! That fact alone ought to make you pause, that you do not know what it is to be tempted; for to say that you are not tempted is as good as to say there is no longer a devil, or he has lost his power over Christians. "If you have no temptations," says St. Gregory, "then the devil is your friend, your guide, and your shepherd. If he now permits your life to flow on in peace, he will at the end of your life draw you down into the abyss." St. Augustine says that the greatest of all temptations is not to be tempted; for such a one is abandoned by God, and delivered over to his passions, and will be lost.

I have said that temptation is necessary for us, to preserve us in humility and distrust of self, and to oblige us to take refuge with God. We read in history that a Superior said to a hermit who was violently tempted by the devil, "My friend, do you wish me to ask God to deliver you from these temptations?" "No, Father," answered the hermit; "for they have the effect of keeping me continually in the presence of God, because it constantly necessitates my taking refuge with God, that He may stand by me in my struggles." Meantime, my brethren, we can say that it is one of the surest signs that we are on the path to heaven, if we are tempted, no matter how humiliating the temptation may be. There remains only one thing for us to do, and that is to fight courageously, for temptation is the time of harvest, as the following example will prove. We read in the lives of the saints that a certain saint was so troubled by the devil during a long term of years that she looked upon herself as lost. God appeared to her for her consolation, and disclosed to her that she had gained more in these particular years than at any other time in her life. St. Augustine teaches that everything which we do without overcoming temptation is of very little value. Instead of being discouraged, therefore, we must, on the contrary, thank Almighty God, and fight courageously, because we are sure of the victory, and because we are certain that God will not give way to the devil, and that He will prepare for us the crown of glory which I wish you all. Amen.
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Everyone Needs a Savior

2011-08-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. We must find each other.” Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” Hebrews 7:25

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Sleep Out To End Homelessness

2011-08-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

Beach locals are invited to “Sleep Out To End Homelessness” in Venice Beach, California on August 6th, 2011, pulling an all-nighter from 7:30pm—7: 30am. Organizers planned the event in order to show support for their homeless neighbors, demand an end to the criminalization of homeless people and to advocate for positive solutions to end homelessness.

The evening begins at 7:30pm with a short program that includes words from: Paule Cruz Takash, President of the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission, Suzanne Verdal, conceptual artist and inspiration for Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne”, Pastor Horace Allen, 1st Baptist Church of Venice, Carol Sobel, civil rights attorney and Vice-President National Lawyers Guild and Stephen Longfellow Fiske, folk singer.

After the program, the temporary homeless (encouraged to bring sleeping bags) are treated to an evening of entertainment including folk singing, poetry, dramatic readings, skits and a full length movie. Rest room facilities are made available all night as well as snacks and pastries and coffee served on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m.

The Sleep Out is sponsored by a group called Community Unity: Beyond Baroque, Church In Ocean Park, Common Ground, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, First Baptist Church of Venice, Holiday Venice Tenant Action Committee, Latino Resources Organization, Lincoln Place Tenants Association, Mildred Cursh Foundation, Neighborhood Youth Association, Peace with Justice Pantry, POWER, Reach for the Top, SPARC, Spirit of Venice, St. Joseph Center, Stand Up For Kids, Tech Team, The Free Venice Beachhead, Venice 2000, Venice Action Alliance, Venice Arts Council, Venice Community Housing Corporation, Venice Community Coalition, Venice Family Clinic, Venice Neighborhood Action Coalition, Venice Town Council, Westside Center for Independent Living.
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Escaping the Hardship of the Desert

2011-08-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

"Just as, when a person with a burning thirst is very dry and has been parched for a long time, to happen upon a fountain of cold water is a very happy and most welcome occurrence, so too, since we are overwhelmed by sadness and weighed down by the burden of numerous tribulations, the refrain of the Prophet’s song today rouses us to joy. Come, it says, let us rejoice in the Lord.

"Come where? Or from where? From yourself, man, into yourself, where not a change of location, but a conversion of your attitudes casts out adversity, puts sadness to flight, dispels despair, drives away distress, and within the residence of a sincere heart prepares an eternal dwelling of divine gladness.

"Then, what has become of: Blessed are those who mourn [Matthew 5:4] and woe to you who laugh? [Luke 6: 25]. Clearly, blessed are those who mourn in the world, and woe to those who laugh in the world, but blessed are those who rejoice in the Lord, and who gain no happiness from robbery, from deceit, or from the tears of their neighbors.

"Come, let us rejoice in the Lord. The one who by word, action or deed rejoices not in himself but in his Creator rejoices in the Lord.

"Come, let us rejoice in the Lord. The one for whom God is always his only and complete happiness rejoices in the Lord."

Saint Peter Chrysologus, “Sermon 46: On the Ninety-fourth Psalm”
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Let Freedom Ring!

2011-08-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Jesus requested of his disciples to take nothing with them for the journey. They were permitted to have a walking stick, but no food, no sack and no money. True freedom is in abandonment, not acquisition.

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.” Mark 6:8

By virtue of death and dying, we are all homeless, aren’t we? Each is a wanderer on a journey to a heavenly home. Like the homeless here on earth, let us travel lightly, unburdened by useless and overwhelming amounts of possessions that may be wisely distributed in order to help others. Let us thank God who has planted within our hearts this amazing goal and prize.

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:19
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Lord, give us the eyes that see!

2011-07-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Compassion are the eyes that let us see others and to bless them. Lord, give us the eyes that see! The rich man could not see Lazarus because he lacked compassion. Compassion allows us to see and to bless the homeless person on the side of the road. Compassion helps us to see the migrant worker picking in the fields as we pass by or to see the child who has failed miserably, and yet to have mercy.

God, in His compassion sees each one of us. In our own unique brand of brokenness and poverty he sees you, he sees me, he has mercy and he blesses us.
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Expensive Charity

2011-07-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

A recent CNBC report by Daniel Bukszpan focuses on the “charitable bagel.” Few foods are as heavily identified with New York City as the bagel. Other cities have their own variations on it, all profitably sold and happily consumed. However, no other U.S. city has ever come close to capturing that certain je ne sais quoi particular to the New York bagel.

Although the bagel is readily available at any time of day or night to anyone with a dollar to spend, Frank Tujague, executive chef at the Westin New York at Times Square, decided to deviate from the standard. He fashioned the world's most expensive bagel by topping it with white truffle cream cheese, goji berry jelly and gold leaves. The price for this creation is $1,000 and all proceeds from its sale are donated to the Les Amis d'Escoffier Scholarship, a charity benefiting impoverished culinary students.

Possibly a chef at the Westin in Los Angeles will dream up a similar ploy to raise charitable donations for the tens of thousands of homeless in LA?
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Gay and Homeless? Hate and Discrimination may Cloud Compassion

2011-07-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

By Chandra Thomas

In April 2008, Brian Dixon (photo) was 18-years-old and homeless. Being gay, he says, only exacerbated his predicament.

After years of mental and physical abuse, at age 14 Brian left home to live with his grandparents. Within a year, they placed him in Georgia’s foster care system. From there he bounced around to several group homes. By the time he turned 18 he had earned a GED before officially “aging out” of the foster care system.

Brian fervently prayed to be granted an extension to remain in the foster care system a bit longer while he worked on his nursing degree. His new caseworker, whom Dixon describes as a “devout Christian,” was not in support. She had convinced her superiors that he was not “a good candidate” for that privilege. He thinks it’s because he’s gay. Within two weeks, Dixon was dropped off with his few belongings at a Southwest Atlanta homeless shelter.

“I was scared; I had nowhere else to go,” recalls Brian. “That first night they sent me to Covenant House and I just could not handle it. I was still in the foster care mindset. It didn’t really register in my mind that I was actually homeless.”

He also tried traditional adult shelters briefly, but ultimately ended up living on the streets of Atlanta. That catapulted him onto a yearlong emotional and heart-wrenching odyssey of illegal drug use, prostitution and “couch-surfing” from one friend’s house to another. In the summer of 2009, he fell victim to a brutal roadside rape at the hands of two strangers.

Atlanta-based licensed counselor Tana Hall says Dixon’s experiences are common among displaced gay youth.

Hall suggests Dixon is among legions of gay teenagers and young adults kicked out of their homes and out of foster care homes primarily because of their sexual orientation. Many claim that the discrimination they face – often rooted in religious conviction – even extends to homeless shelters and into the foster care system. Halls says she’s heard staffers at local Christian-based shelters make homophobic comments and it’s upsetting. [It’s unfortunate], but she often tries to avoid sending her clientele there because she fears discrimination, but sometimes it’s the only option available.

“The majority of calls I get on our helpline are young people who have run away because they did not feel that they were accepted in their home,” Hall says. “The primary reason that these young people are homeless is not because of issues like substance abuse or mental illness; it’s due to a lack of acceptance about who they are [from others]. It’s a societal issue.”

Brian acknowledges the only facility he’s ever formally been kicked out of was one touted as a “Christian group home.” Upon arrival, he says, he was required to sign a form agreeing to never disclose his sexual orientation. He tried unsuccessfully to conceal his sexual identity there.

“People kept asking me about it and I wouldn’t answer them; once they found out I was gay, it was pretty much downhill from there,” recalls Brian.
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Ode To Those Dead And Forgotten

2011-07-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

by Mitchell Zeftel

I'm weeping and I wept all night,
yet I'm trying to sing praises
to those cremated and unknown,
maybe unknowable.
Last night on public radio, they
spoke of a mass funeral in Seattle
for two hundred homeless --
those who had no one to bury them.
Two hundred vials of ash --
O Virgin, save them -- and they
were blessed by authentic clergy
so as to destroy, say,
a conspiracy of silence
which shrouds the saddest eyes.
People found in flat, dusty rooms,
broken Safeway carts.
Yes, they died with no image
in their mirrors.
I've been weeping so much
maybe my tears should bring
a new kind of stained glass window,
because they, the forgotten, stained
their blood on the winds of Seattle.
O Lord, remember their names.
O Virgin, let their blood
be stained also in your eyes.

Excerpt from a collection of poems in the spirit of St. Francis. More on the Internet at http://www.thestreetspirit.org/
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5 Reasons to Help the Homeless This Summer

2011-07-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Helping the homeless is most talked about in the winter months because of the freezing temperatures and the spirit of giving in the holiday season. But the homeless community needs our help in the summer time as much as ever! Here are 5 reasons to care for the homeless this summer:

•Risk of sunstroke and heatstroke. Many homeless shelters force residents to leave during the day. The homeless may not have access to a place to cool off all day.
•Risk of dehydration. Public water fountains are harder to come by than you would think. More homeless will die in the summer months from dehydration than those in the winter from exposure to cold and hypothermia.
•Homelessness increases in the summer months. During the winter, landlords are less inclined to evict a family and families are less inclined to give up the fight against eviction notices and move out. A while back, the New York Times wrote about the "summer surge" of homelessness.
•Kids no longer have support from their schools. During the school year, homeless students are provided with free or reduced price breakfasts and lunches. They also have a safe, comfortable place to spend their days.
•Kids no longer have a free place to have fun with their friends. Homeless kids can't afford pricey summer camps or tickets to water parks. Summer break can mean two months of boredom and loneliness.

What Can We Do?
1. Host a free event for the homeless, like an outdoor movie screening or a public picnic.
2. Run a water bottle collection drive.
3. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
4. Run a summer clothing drive and pass out cool items such as shorts, t-shirts, socks and sneakers.
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The Old and the New

2011-07-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Old Testament bears witness to Jesus' mission to the poor . . .

"Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

"May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more . . .

"For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight." (Psalm 72)

The New Testament establishes Jesus’ mission to the poor . . .

[Jesus] on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:14-21)
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I Desire Mercy

2011-07-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

There is confusion by some concerning the apostle Paul’s statement, “Jesus became sin, who knew no sin.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) How is that possible for one who was sinless? One possible explanation is that Jesus became sin because when he entered this world, a world made of laws, he did “break laws” while fulfilling his mission here. For instance, he “worked” on the Sabbath – meaning he healed the sick on the Sabbath laboring as a physician when it was illegal to do so. He and the disciples lived as homeless men and therefore often had to eat with unclean hands and did not observe all the required fasts. So technically, some laws were broken and some eyebrows were raised by the higher-ups. Yet, as the Apostle James said, “Mercy triumphs over justice.” (James 2:13)

Jesus, because he gave unparalleled mercy, he overcame sin and the law by showing mercy - for example the mercy he gave to the woman caught in adultery. Jesus said to the keepers of the law, “Have you not read how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” Matthew12:5-7 By following in his footsteps, we are guiltless of our sins when we live out the law of mercy toward others.
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The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind

2011-07-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

In 2009, rock legend Bob Dylan was on tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp and decided to kill time before the evening's performance by walking around a neighborhood near the seashore. Someone called the police to report that a man was wandering around the low-income area. Two young officers equally unaware of American pop culture icons approached him.

"What is your name, sir?" the officer asked.
"Bob Dylan," he said.
"OK, what are you doing here?" the officer asked.
"I'm on tour," the singer replied.

Dylan wasn't carrying any identification so they took him to his hotel, where several tour staff vouched for him. The officers stated afterward that he couldn't have been nicer to them.

Apparently, according to a new poll, Jesus suffers a similar fate. Unfathomable amounts of ink have been spilled over the centuries since the invention of the printing press in writings about the person of Jesus Christ. But the truth of the matter is that none of them, not one, help us know Jesus. No matter how well we may think we know Jesus, we do not. No matter how much of the Bible we have studied, how thoroughly we have studied it, how exhaustively we have sought out the main character of the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth, none of that, none of it, helps us know Jesus at all. And it is probably also true that the more we think we know Jesus, the less likely it is that we actually do.

The same notion as to the unrecognizability of Jesus is also in the Gospels. Mary Magdalene did not recognize him at the tomb. Two of the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus did not recognize him either. In another episode, Thomas looks at Jesus straight in the eye but does not know him until he places he hand in his wounds. What makes us think that we who are alive today are any better? Yet by the sounds of it - many commentaries, writers, journalists and church goers believe they have Jesus all figured out. But is that really possible?

Today, an insightful poll officially closes here at Homeless In America. For the past year, we asked the following question of our readers, visitors and bloggers:

“The first time God entered our world, unrecognizable to the “church” – He came as a helpless baby, in a barn and as a migrant. He journeyed with 12 dirty, sweaty and uneducated homeless men. If He obscurely came in poverty today, would the church know Him?”

Here is how they responded . . .

11% said, “Yes, I think that most Christians would recognize Him.”

88% responded, “No, I think that most would be clueless.”

In closing, it's hard to imagine an icon of a generation like Bob Dylan being unrecognized. Even in 2009, one would think his face would serve as his ID with anyone over the age of twenty. It has been said, and is backed up by our poll, that if Jesus came back today, he might be arrested for loitering. What is the world coming to? "The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind, the answer is blowin in the wind."

Thank you for participating in this and all Homeless In America polls. Please scroll down to near the bottom of this main page and vote in all the new polls and surveys. God bless you for being a voice for the poor homeless.
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Imagine a Home where the Buffalo Roam

2011-06-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

By C.S. Lewis

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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Poll: Many Going the Wrong Way

2011-06-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

According to a recent poll that closed here at Homeless In America, self-righteousness may be an across the board concern, spanning the lives of Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals in America today. In all reality, it may be part and parcel of the general population and our human condition of pride - the “original sin”. Regardless, although being the wrong way, it may be difficult to see. Jesus once said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Apparently the real measure of the existence of this type of hypocrisy comes when the unfeigned charity of Christ is set aside in exchange for an unmerciful attitude of judging and condemning others.

Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7” 1-5)

Over the past year, bloggers and readers were asked the following question: “In your opinion, have Christians strayed from Christ’s Gospel of charity and placed too much focus on others’ personal sins resulting in abuse of power, control and self-righteousness in many political and religious sectors?”

Here is how they responded . . .

5% Just Protestants have strayed.

10% Mostly Evangelicals have strayed.

10% For the most part, Catholics have strayed.

75% Protestants, Catholics & Evangelicals have all strayed.

0% None have strayed, it's all good.

Thank you for participating in this and all the polls. Scroll down to near the bottom of this main page and participate in the new surveys recently launched.
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Tears

2011-06-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Blessed are you that weep and morn, one day you shall laugh. Luke 6:21

By Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis

"Tears are the humble, created water of my heart that corresponds to the powerful uncreated water of the Spirit's life in me. Tears are perhaps the most rejuvenating and re-creating water of all, the evidence that I have allowed grace to melt the ice at the center of my being. As Leon Bloy says strikingly, where there are tears, there is the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit of God is always, as at the beginning, 'hovering over the waters.' What areas of my life are still rigid, refusing to yield to resistance and be shaped by God's fingers?

"In what parts of my person do I still allow the old inflexible grouch of sin to have his way? Each one of us, according to our state in life, has different strategies for allowing the old Adam and Eve to survive in us. We may have that rascal, the decrepit old self, locked away safely, but surreptitiously we still pass him food through the slot in the dungeon door, do we not?

"The Glory of God is always found in movements of love, in communication of life, never in static routine cramped piety, thoughtless repetition of official acts of conventional observance, external religious acts that could easily become the letter that kills, the continuing tyranny of the old, sinful self. The Spirit by contrast, is wind, fire, light, water, Glory; the unexpected, the transforming, the self-communicating, the self-outpouring Power that shapes by embracing and not letting go. The way of the disciple is necessarily a way of discipline, because discipleship is the living school in which we learn how to be like Christ by intimate association with Him."

Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis is a Cistercian monk and the author of Fire of Mercy: Heart of the Word, a three volume commentary on Saint Matthew’s Gospel.
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Persecution, Complaints and Unjust Accusations: It’s all Good

2011-06-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

By Saint Anthony of Padua

“It is only in adversity that we come to know whether we have made real progress in goodness . . . Two things the devil fears above all: the fire of charity and the well-trodden path of humility . . . The poor of Jesus Christ, who are marked with the sign of his poverty as long as they are in this world, consider themselves pilgrims and exiled from the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6) and walk roughshod over the passing things of this world. Unless we keep our hearts thus unfettered, how can we come to the Lord?

“Nothing apart from God can satisfy the human heart which is truly in search of him. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in us. Practically, we are required to be patient in many ways: for there are some things, trials and crosses, which come to us from God; others, temptations and enticements that come to us from our old adversary the devil; still other difficulties that arise from our neighbor: persecution, complaints and unjust accusations. Against all these we must be ever on our guard lest we give way to complaining against the trials our maker sends us; lest again we be led astray into sin, which is what the devil wants; or to be overly disturbed by the thoughtlessness or unkindness of others. For if we want to have our own way always, aren't we really seeking our reward here below in the things of this life? Let us couple patience and long-suffering in the spirit of meekness and faith (and so bring forth fruit in patience)!”
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To the Max

2011-06-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend in Salt Lake City, the Associated Press reports that a private investigator says he has tracked down a homeless Utah man and delivered some good news: He's inherited a lot of money.

David Lundberg said he found Max Melitzer pushing a shopping cart filled with personal possessions in a Salt Lake City park Saturday afternoon.

Lundberg declined to disclose how much money Melitzer will be receiving, but said the man's brother who died of cancer last year left him a "significant" amount in his will.

The investigator said he broke the news to Melitzer while they were sitting on a bench at Pioneer Park. While Lundberg said he didn't tell Melitzer how much money he was inheriting, the man was excited.

"He's still in shock. This came out of nowhere," Lundberg said. "He's a really mellow guy in his 60s, very sweet and more articulate than I thought for a man in his position."

Earlier this month, a police officer found Melitzer sleeping in a car in an Ogden salvage yard.

The investigator said he found Melitzer with the help of a tip. He received about 60 or 70 such calls after news about his search went out Friday.

"Someone called today (Saturday) and said they saw him at Pioneer Park. I thought it was another crazy tip, but sure enough, there he was," Lundberg said.
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An Encounter with Jesus

2011-06-19T01:49:00.000-07:00

By Mother Elvira Petrozzi

"Those who suffer truly help us understand who we are inside. We enter again into that sacred place of our heart where man is moved to cry, suffer, and rebel. With the eyes of faith it can be see that pain and suffering are the presence of Jesus Himself in the family. If you receive suffering and welcome suffering, it will save you.

"One day a mom came to visit me and said, 'Our baby girl, who is already six years old and has never been able to walk, has saved our marriage and our family.' This family looked with eyes of love, faith and truth perceiving in that mysterious cross the even greater mysterious light of the Resurrection.

"Some families of our young men were present at a recent Eucharistic celebration. One parent prayed saying, 'I thank you, Lord, because through the drug problem of my son, and then, through the sickness of my son, you have restored and saved our marriage.' Thanks to an encounter with Jesus, what seemed like a heavy cross became an instrument of salvation.

"Our God is Love. He waits, knocking at the door of our heart until He can enter and transform it. We must commit ourselves, not to live alone, but to live in the constant presence of Jesus. He helps us to understand the poor, the sick, and the suffering and pushes us to help them, to get out of our comfort zone and give up something that belongs to us for them. Then we realize that an infinite joy is born within us. We need one another to encounter the joy of embracing the Cross."

Mother Elvira Petrozzi is foundress of Communita Cenacolo, welcoming the lost and desperate in 63 houses in 15 countries.

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Grassroots or Bourgeois?

2011-06-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

"Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (photo) a German Lutheran pastor theologian and martyr (+1945), lead the grassroots Christian resistance against Nazism. Bonhoeffer was an exceptional pianist, and his parents thought he might pursue a music career. He was also athletic and played such games as tennis and chess with passion. Expected to follow his father into psychiatry, Bonhoeffer surprised and dismayed his parents when he decided by age of fourteen to become a theologian and later a pastor. When his older brother told him not to waste his life in such a "poor, feeble, boring and petty institution as the Church", 14-year-old Dietrich replied: "If what you say is true, I shall reform it!"

In the 2003 movie, “Bonhoeffer”, the filmmakers assert that Dietrich believed that the mainstream church had become bourgeois and thus ineffective in standing up to Hitler. The film produces actual photos of church leaders in handshakes with Hitler that are in an apparent show of support for his errant vision.

In your opinion, where are we as a Church in America today, grassroots or bourgeois? Scroll down and vote in this and all the polls, located near the bottom of this main page. Thank you for your participation.
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Preacher Poll Closes

2011-06-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

Today, a poignant poll comes to a close. In it, our readers for the past twelve months provided their opinions about broken, yet inspired, residing in many of our churches around the country. Bloggers were asked this question . . .

“Jesus chose prostitutes, a midget, fishermen, homeless disciples, tax collectors and an accomplice in murder to preach. Today’s preachers are selected for intelligence, degrees, MMPI psychological profile and success. In your opinion, why is this so?”

Interestingly, no one felt that Jesus’ selection method is obsolete today. About 25% assessed the fact that quite possibly liability insurance companies will not support Jesus' strategy and that could account for this discrepancy in preacher recruitment. Ultimately, more than 55% of Homeless In America voters responded saying, “Over the centuries, the church may have lost sight of who Jesus calls. “ Further, 10% felt it was all the above and another 10% felt it was none of the above.

In summary, on the issue of preacher recruitment, Christian-leadership.org who specializes in growing Christian servant-leaders writes . . . “[Your church] may have delusions of grandeur and only want a famous [well-educated] name to lead you. This is the way to miss God’s best for your church. Finding a new pastor for your church is about understanding and obediently following God’s will for your church rather than following your own ambitions. The only guaranteed outcomes in the Christian life are a result of obedience to God’s will.”
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Homeless Mom's Lament

2011-06-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, a homeless mom wrote in and posted the following . . . "I am a homeless single parent of 3. Every day is very hard. But I sell jewelry that I make to pay for a cheap motel, food, clothes. It takes every ounce of energy, and emotional strength to survive. I am not lazy and do not feel sorry for myself. I know that things are going to be okay. God gives me and my children strength. [While reading Homeless In America] it was refreshing to know that some people have it easier. And face it, a good amount of homeless do not have a sharp mind and really need those handouts. And most of all they need respect and to be treated with love. Thanks for [the post,'Down and not so out in Beverly Hills'] giving me something to laugh at today."
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Boatlessness

2011-06-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Homeless in America shares primarily about homelessness, however with a slight digression from the norm, this story is one of boatlessness. It comes by way of Chaplain Pam, a woman’s prison pastor in California. She writes . . .

The recent Orange County Register article about a recent boating accident does not tell you what really happened, I know because my 34 year old son Brian was there. He and his friend Bob decided to fish off the jetty two Sundays ago. But after being battered by the 30 mph hour winds and the 9-10 ft. waves, Brian decided it wasn’t worth it, and told Bob he was going for a walk on the shore. While walking, he noticed a power boat dangerously close to shore and knew the people on board would have to jump out before it began rolling on them in the high surf.

Brian, running along the shore to the boat saw a man thrown from it. The man’s wife on the shore pleaded with Brian to go and save her husband. Brian peeled off his clothes and jumped in to swim to this man, but with the conditions as they were, he knew it would be a fight to save to him.

In the meantime, another man hearing the calls for “help” jumped in to assist Brian, but at once panicked because of the size of the waves and began to drown as well. Fortunately, another man seeing what was happening jumped in to save this man. But Brian continued on to the man who remained in sight about 15 ft. off shore.

After much time passed getting through the crashing waves, Brian watched as the man went down for the last time, still out of arms reach, and knew he was dead. For my son, the most difficult part of all of this was accepting the fact this man died and he had failed to save him. Now, due to sheer exhaustion, he knew he was drowning as well, and would need to fight hard save himself.

Brian told me, “Mom, I knew I was going to die . . . that this was it. I also knew the only chance I had to survive was if God, would somehow pop me up with this last wave, and throw me quite a distance off into the rocks. I curled into a ball so I wouldn't hit my head on the rocks and waited for the wave.” In answer to his prayer, the Lord and Savior that Brian has loved all his life, did just this . . . He was thrown on to the rocks.

Bleeding, Brian climbed as quickly as possible over the rocks to the jetty. By now every rescue crew available was there, along with a huge crowd and pulled him from the jetty . . . When he reached the top of the jetty and began walking off of it, drowning man’s wife ran up to him, “Did you save my husband?” Brian said he couldn’t tell her, and instead pointed to the rescuers to help her.

Unfortunately, no one on the boat was wearing a life vest on that day. The three remaining in the boat could have perished, not to mention the three others who jumped in after this man. But, through the grace of God, only one died, not six . . . the man Brian tried so desperately to save.

My son second-guesses himself now, wondering if he had just done things a little differently, had seen the people in the boat a little sooner, or if he had just done . . . But, we don’t second guess God, and He allowed it to happen the way it did. We may never know the reason, but I know this, Brian was saved because there is still more for him to do on this earth, and although it will be a process of acceptance, “survivor’s guilt” will not get the best of him. And so he grieves. He said he is asking for prayers of comfort for this man’s family. I would ask also for prayers for Brian.

I drove to San Diego to see him on Sunday, to hold on to him, and hug him as I listened to his heart still beating with life, and thanking God for His great compassion and mercy. Here’s a picture of our reunion.
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"Without Me You Can Do Nothing"

2011-06-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

Faith which works through love is indeed a grace of God, because our believing, our loving, our doing works which we know to be good -- these are not things that we have attained by any preceding merits of ours but from the one who lavishes them upon us, and it is he who says, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and I have appointed you that you may go and bear fruit." And that we may attain eternal life on account of faith, love, and good works -- this is a grace of God, because in order to keep us from turning aside from the good path, we always have need of that very leader to whom it is said, "Lead me, Lord, in your way, and I will walk in your truth." And also, as if he were saying clearly, "Unless I have you as my leader when I enter upon the way of truth which I have begun, by no means am I sufficient to hold to it."

So as not to falter in good works we ought always to rely for support on the help of the one who says, "For without me you can do nothing." Hence in order to express the fact that the start of faith and good action is given to us by the Lord, the psalmist properly says, "My God, his mercy goes before me." Again, in order to teach that the good things we do must be accomplished with his assistance, he says, "And your mercy follows after me all the days of my life." In order to show that the prize of eternal life rendered for good works is bestowed upon us freely, he says, "Who crowns you in compassion and mercy." He crowns us indeed in mercy and compassion when he repays us with the reward of heavenly blessedness for the good works which he himself has mercifully granted us to carry out. - Saint Bede the Venerable (+735) From Homilies on the Gospels, Book One, Advent to Lent. Translated by Lawrence T. Martin and David Hurst, OSB

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You might be homeless when . . .

2011-06-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

You are living with friends temporarily, on a floor or on a sofa.
Your name does not appear on any lease, rental agreement or mortgage.
You don’t have a mailing address.
You lack resources for personal care, a shower and a place to hang up clothing for interviews or work.
You are chronically living out of a recreational vehicle.
You have to urinate in a container or frequent libraries and coffee shops to use the bathroom.
You have purchased a gym membership in order to shower.
You live out of your car.
You sleep regularly in a sleeping bag.
You are exploiting yourself sexually in order to financially get by.
You consistently lack a good night’s sleep.
You consider crimes of theft to survive.
You have been a victim of crime.
Your shoes are worn and torn from excessive walking.
You sleep behind a dumpster.
You carry with your all your personal possessions.
Your personal items have been stolen or torched.
You have been harassed by law enforcement.
You have mental illness and/or addiction(s) that have gone untreated.
You lack dental care and are losing your teeth.
You have been taken into a shelter.
You eat only one meal a day at a church or rescue mission.
No one knows your name.
You fear dying alone and no one will know you are even gone.
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The Suffering of the Homeless - Model of Holiness

2011-05-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

The central obstacle to holiness is not external things per se, but a material internal state of mind. It is what comes from the heart; cravings, passions, desire, attachments and the fear of the loss of the many things we own or want to own.

We become cleansed of a material state of mind when we are taken into the suffering of the darkness of faith or as St. John of the Cross states, “The dark night of the senses.” It is a time when we suffer intensely, when there is great loss, there appears to be no hope, we feel abandoned, alone and completely crushed. When we are cleansed in the darkness of faith, the soul feels light and arid. It produces liberty of spirit, the removal of anxiety, the installation of deep peace and a new capacity to have patience with others. We have a greater ability to absorb suffering and have an inability to explain these new behaviors to spiritual directors and others. Finally, there is a profound certainty of peace that does not need validation by others.

“Whenever Christ calls us, his call leads us to death,” Dietrich Bonheoffer, Discipleship.

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Sabbath Prayer

2011-05-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Lord, have mercy on the suffering.

Give food to those who are hungry;

Give clothing to those who lack;

Give shelter to those who shiver in cold;

Give love to orphans and outcast;

Give comfort to abused women;

Give redemption to the oppressed;

Give assistance to those ravaged by war.

May you teach them to grow toward you

In light of the hardships they suffer.

And to all of these may you give your gospel

That they might attain your kingdom

Where their sufferings will be exchanged

For the joy of your loving presence.

A prayer from the Anawim Homeless Christian Community, Portland, Oregon

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Confirming Adoption

2011-05-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

“Praised be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens. God chose us in him before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ; such was his will and pleasure, that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-7)

St. Thomas Aquinas once said, “Only those who have charity are adopted sons of God.” (Suma Theologica, The Savior) The Lord confirms each of our adoptions by calling each to reach out to the poor and the homeless. May the Lord be praised that he gives us this opportunity! May we by the Lord’s grace, be filled with heroic acts of charity for the poor homeless and thereby follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, first Son that He is, and now we, the adopted sons and daughters of God.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus introduced us to a new word –Abba. Abba means “Father,” but a better rendering of Abba would be the word, “Daddy.” Everyone who ever lived on the earth has a father, but not everyone has a “Daddy.” A father is one of the people who is responsible for one’s very existence, but not every father takes the time or makes the effort to build a relationship with his offspring. Being “Daddy” and not just “Father” requires a special connection with the child. We respect our fathers, but we love our daddies! Saint Paul writes, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:4-7)

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:12-17)
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Prayer to the Merciful Father

2011-05-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

Merciful Father
Allow us to be transformed into your mercy
And so be your living reflection.
May your mercy pass through our souls to our neighbors.
Help our eyes to be merciful
So we do not judge by appearances
But look for what is beautiful in our neighbor’s souls.
Help our ears to be merciful
So we give heed to our neighbor’s needs
Not being indifferent to their moaning’s.
Help our tongues to be merciful
So we never speak negatively of another
But have words of comfort for all.
Help our hands to be merciful
So that we do good to our neighbors
And take up ourselves the more difficult tasks.
Help our feet to be merciful
Overcoming our own weariness
Hurrying to assist our neighbors.
Help our hearts to be merciful
So we feel the sufferings of our neighbors
And refuse our hearts to no one.
May we be locked into the merciful heart of Jesus.

A prayer from the Anawim Homeless Christian Community, Portland, Oregon

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Rags to Riches

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Genshiro Kawamoto (photo), one of Japan's richest men, said he plans to open eight of his 22 Kahala millionaire-row homes to needy native homeless Hawaiian families. They will be able to stay in the homes for up to 10 years, he said. Kawamoto stated he was renting (for just the cost of utilities) the homes "because the affluent people can help the least fortunate people".

Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented among the state's homeless and working poor.

Kawamoto owns dozens of office buildings in Tokyo under the name Marugen and has been buying and selling real estate in Hawaii and California since the 1980s.
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All you need is love. Love! Love is all you need.

2011-05-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

By St. Thomas Aquinas

Since all people cannot study science, a brief law has been given by our Lord, so that it can be known by all, and no one because of ignorance can be excused from its observance; and this law is the law of Divine Love. . . The law of Divine Love produces in man four very desirable things.

First, it causes spiritual life in him, for it is clear that the one loved is naturally in the mind of the one loving, and therefore whoever loves God has God in him . . . Even the nature of love is such that it transforms the lover into the beloved. Wherefore if we love evil and earthly things, we become sinful and restless. But if we love God, we become divine, or Godlike. . . The soul operates virtuously and perfectly, when it operates through charity, by which God dwells in it, for without charity, the soul does not rightly operate . . .

Secondly, charity causes the divine commandments to be observed. Gregory says, “Never is the love of God a burden, for it does great things wherever it exists. Moreover if work is a failure, or despised, there divine love is not present. Hence, an evident sign of charity is promptitude in observing the divine commandments. For we have seen that the lover does great and difficult things for the sake of the beloved.”

The third thing which love accomplishes is that it becomes a stronghold against adversities. For to the one having charity, no adverse circumstance can injure him, but on the contrary, adversities become useful to him. . . Moreover adversities and trials become delightful to the one loving God, as we clearly see from everyday examples among us.

The fourth thing which charity does for us is that it leads us to happiness. For only to those having charity is eternal happiness promised; yea more, remembered therefore, that according to our degree of charity, will be our degree of eternal happiness; and not according to any other virtue.
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Few Pray to be Delivered from Wealth and its Dangers

2011-05-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Jesus asked the disciples to go out, village to village, announcing that the kingdom of God had come. He asked them to do that with only one set of clothes, one set of shoes and not to worry about food or housing, it would be provided. How many of us Americans today have two and three or more extra of everything just cluttering up our homes? Without even being a hoarder, it is likely that most of us own way more socks than one could ever wear, more jackets and sweaters than a winter season needs and way more household items than ever get used.

What’s the solution? The surplus in our homes belongs to the poor and the homeless. In fact, Jesus commanded the rich young man to "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21). Moving from the sin of possession to the virtue of contentment is a decision to live our faith, to not simply have a head-knowledge of it. A person who chooses voluntary emptiness is the vessel that is prepared to be filled with eternal riches - the wealth that does not rust or grow old, but will last forever.

There are many who pray to be delivered from poverty and its dangers, but few who pray to be delivered from wealth and its dangers. Contentment without God is an attractive temptation despite its utter impossibility. St. Augustine knew better. He prayed, "Thou hast made us for thyself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in thee."

[Jesus said,] So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6:31-33).
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Be

2011-05-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

By Edwina Gateley

Let Your God Love You

Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.

Let your God—
Love you.

Born in Lancaster, England, Edwina Gateley's (see http://www.edwinagateley.com/) educational experiences have awarded her a Teacher's Degree from England, a Masters in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and certification as an HIV counselor in the State of Illinois. From 1981 to 1982, Edwina lived for nine months in prayer and solitude in a hermitage in Illinois. In 1983, she spent over a year on the streets of Chicago, walking with the homeless and women involved in prostitution. Within these two experiences were the seeds of her ministry that would be realized in 1983 when she founded a house of hospitality and nurturing for women involved in prostitution. Numerous groups and individuals, including the Governor of the State of Illinois, the Mayor of Chicago, the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin, and the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, have publicly commended Edwina’s work and ministry. Edwina is currently writing, leading retreats for abused and marginalized women. She is available to speak of her faith journey, and her struggles to be faithful to her call to urban ministry and mission.
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The world is a dangerous place, but not because of evil!

2011-05-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 8-9
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Stuck in the mud at Easter?

2011-05-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

By Sr Elvira Petrozzi

The Risen Jesus is the heart of the world. He gives life to the whole Universe and He is the ray of light that shines from the empty tomb on all humanity – yesterday, today and always. The Resurrection of Jesus is a special and unique event. It is the announcement of the victory of life over death, of love over sin. Easter is the feast of the Running Feet. Everyone arrives at the tomb tired, sad and disappointed... and they leave running! The Risen Christ gives us the dynamic enthusiasm to announce the victory.

Who are those Apostles today, those Peters and Johns who leave and go into the world? Who are the Magdalenes, forgiven and reconciled with God, who announce to everyone that Jesus is alive? They are us, the baptized Christians! We are the people of God who should bring the joy of Salvation to everyone. With Baptism and the other Sacraments, the world of our heart, our feelings and our human story becomes cleansed and renovated; from simple creatures we become children of God! It is an exceptional event; heaven comes down to earth to work something extraordinary in our hearts that we cannot keep to ourselves. We have to speak about it.

Too many people do not know yet that there is a Savior who came in our midst to bring us the mercy and the love of God. The world is still in the dark, troubled, full of fear, because we Christians are living for other things. We are not aware any more of the precious treasure that we have in our hands; we speak about trivialities and we give too much importance to useless things; too many worries fill our minds because we are not fulfilling our true mission on earth; our selfishness makes us sad and our fears increase. Maybe even on Easter morning our first thought will be: “Did you make the coffee? Is breakfast ready? I have such a headache this morning...” Absurdities!

We who have a vocation, in which there is close rapport with God, get stuck in the mud of the world’s selfishness. Called to the high peaks of a proclamation that liberates, we let ourselves be chained by the superficials of life. Christ is risen! He is truly risen! This is the daily experience that my eyes are contemplating, my hands are touching and my ears are hearing; the dead are raised, prisoner are freed and the blind see. The power of His Resurrection unchains us.

There are a thousand opportunities a day to give witness and to manifest what the Lord has done for us: a smile, an act of forgiveness, a hug, a service or job done with and for love. Mary Magdalene and the Apostles are our models, our gift this Easter to begin to run again, to bring everyone the good news of the Easter morning. Death does not have the last word; it was defeated by the life of Christ!

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who announce peace!” These are your feet, my feet, our feet... and so the world will experience the Resurrection!

Sister Elvira (Photo) is founder of the Cenacolo Community. This excerpt is from the book: Mother Elvira Community Cenacolo, a collection of thoughts and teachings of Sr Elvira. It is available from the Community Cenacolo book shop in Bijakovici, Medjugorje.

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Homeless to Front-Row Seat

2011-04-29T14:52:00.001-07:00

London’s Daily Mail recently reported that barely a year ago, a young woman by the name of Shozna was living a desperate existence, sharing homeless shelters with drug addicts while recovering from a serious stroke. But today, she took her place alongside royals, A-list celebrities and foreign dignitaries after getting an invitation to the royal wedding.

Prince William and Kate Middleton invited the former homeless teenager to Westminster Abbey after she was rescued from destitution by Princess Diana’s homeless charity, Centrepoint. William, 28, followed in his late mother’s footsteps by becoming patron in 2005 and spent a freezing winter’s night sleeping rough in support of their plight two years ago.

At a charity gala last summer he heard Shozna, now 20, tell her story of how the bright, bubbly, 5ft 2in teenager was made homeless after having major heart surgery and faced the prospect of life on the streets. William was so moved that he broke royal protocol by giving her a hug. Now, he handpicked her for font seat at the wedding ceremony.
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Teens for Jeans Rocked it Out!

2011-04-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Matt Lanter (photo) recently announced on behalf of Aeropostale that the 4th Annual Teens For Jeans drive has now ended - and the youth at various high schools around the country rocked it out. The organizers we're completely blown away by all the hard work these kids put in on behalf of homeless teenagers living in North America. In just four weeks, the high schoolers collected 542,411 pairs of jeans. So far the campaign has collected over one million pairs of jeans - that's enough to clothe all the homeless teens in the US and Canada!

Got Questions? Email teensforjeans@dosomething.org

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Easter is a Time of Hope

2011-04-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

By Edward Grinnan

A few days ago on April 1, Millie turned two. She’s a teenager in Golden Retriever years. By the way, I’m about 300 in dog years.

Last year right around the time she turned one, a homeless woman appeared on our block at the shelter right around the corner. The first time she encountered me and Millie on our morning walk she shrank back in terror. I can understand being afraid of dogs. . . but afraid of Millie? The sweetest-looking (and sweetest) dog on the planet? The quintessential Golden Retriever? Loyal, kind, affectionate to a fault?

Well, I thought, easing Millie away from the woman, maybe she had a bad experience with a dog when she was little. “It’s not your fault, Mil,” I said. She looked genuinely hurt. No one had ever been afraid of her. As we walked away she kept looking over her shoulder at the woman as if she wanted to make things all right.

On later encounters we would quietly cross the street to avoid any unpleasantness. But this being New York that kind of evasion isn’t always practicable in tight urban quarters. One day the woman and Millie came face to face. They both stopped and stared.
Finally the woman asked, “Do she bite?”

“Never,” I said, patting my dog’s flanks.

That was that and we went our separate ways. Until one walk when I had stopped to chat with a neighbor. Millie was sitting politely behind me. A little too politely. I turned to see the woman petting Millie’s head awkwardly, Millie obliging happily.

The next time we saw her she tried to share a piece of bologna sandwich with Millie until I explained that it might not be good for dogs. I brought treats along for the next time we met so she could give Millie something. What a huge smile that encounter brought forth from both the woman and Millie.

A little earlier this spring the woman stopped us one day on our morning walk. “I’m getting my own place,” she said, more to Millie than to me. “I got approved.” It was the perfect time to let Millie give the woman a high five. The woman was duly amazed by this little trick. Then she said, “I’m thinking of getting a dog…one of them shelter dogs, a stray, kinda like me.”

I’m writing this on Easter weekend because it is the time we celebrate resurrections. Yes, the celebration of the historic resurrection of Christ above all. But also all the other resurrections in our lives—resurrections of faith, family, health, finances, dreams and above all, the resurrection of hope.

Edward Grinnan is Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of GUIDEPOSTS Publications.

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Why the homeless may be closer to surrendering than the rich and powerful . . .

2011-04-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Why did Jesus have to die?
by
C. S. Lewis

We are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed out our sins, and that by dying He disabled death itself. That is the formula. That is Christianity. That is what has to be believed. Any theories we build up as to how Christ's death did all this are, in my view, quite secondary: mere plans or diagrams to be left alone if they do not help us, and, even if they do help us, not to be confused with the thing itself. All the same, some of these theories are worth looking at.

The one most people have heard is the one about our being let off because Christ volunteered to bear a punishment instead of us. Now on the face of it that is a very silly theory. If God was prepared to let us off, why on earth did He not do so? And what possible point could there be in punishing an innocent person instead? None at all that I can see, if you are thinking of punishment in the police-court sense. On the other hand, if you think of a debt, there is plenty of point in a person who has some assets paying it on behalf of someone who has not. Or if you take "paying the penalty," not in the sense of being punished, but in the more general sense of "footing the bill," then, of course, it is a matter of common experience that, when one person has got himself into a hole, the trouble of getting him out usually falls on a kind friend.

Now what was the sort of "hole" man had gotten himself into? He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself. In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor - that is the only way out of a "hole." This process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. In fact, it needs a good man to repent. And here's the catch. Only a bad person needs to repent: only a good person can repent perfectly. The worse you are the more you need it and the less you can do it. The only person who could do it perfectly would be a perfect person - and he would not need it.

Remember, this repentance, this willing submission to humiliation and a kind of death, is not something God demands of you before He will take you back and which He could let you off of if He chose: it is simply a description of what going back to Him is like. If you ask God to take you back without it, you are really asking Him to let you go back without going back. It cannot happen. Very well, then, we must go through with it. But the same badness which makes us need it, makes us unable to do it. Can we do it if God helps us? Yes, but what do we mean when we talk of God helping us? We mean God putting into us a bit of Himself, so to speak. He lends us a little of His reasoning powers and that is how we think: He puts a little of His love into us and that is how we love one another. When you teach a child writing, you hold its hand while it forms the letters: that is, it forms the letters because you are forming them. We love and reason because God loves and reasons and holds our hand while we do it. Now if we had not fallen, that would all be plain sailing. But unfortunately we now need God's help in order to do something which God, in His own nature, never does at all - to surrender, to suffer, to submit, to die. Nothing in God's nature corresponds to this process at all. So that the one road for which we now need God's leadership most of all is a road God, in His own nature, has never walked. God can share only what He has: this thing, in His own nature, He has not.

But supposing God became a man - suppose our human nature which can suffer and die was amalgamated with God's nature in one person - then that person could help us. He could surrender His will, and suffer and die, because He was man; and He could do it perfectly because He was God. You and I can go through this process only if God does it in us; but God can do it only if He becomes man. Our attempts at this dying will succeed only if we men share in God's dying, just as our thinking can succeed only because it is a drop out of the ocean of His intelligence: but we cannot share God's dying unless God dies; and he cannot die except by being a man. That is the sense in which He pays our debt, and suffers for us what He Himself need not suffer at all. Excerpted from, C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Chapter 4, The Perfect Penitent.
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Nobody Don't Love Nobody

2011-04-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

At a time of state and federal budget cuts for education, Hallmark aired on CBS an uplifting, feel-good movie about how one compassionate and dedicated teacher can make a difference in children's lives.

"Beyond the Blackboard," (photo) debuted this past Sunday night. Based on a true story, it stars Emily Van Camp as a first-year teacher in Salt Lake City who is assigned to instruct homeless children.

The events took place in 1987 when real-life teacher Stacey Bess was 24 and starting her teaching career. She was assigned to homeless children in a makeshift classroom under a freeway viaduct that had no books, no desks, no custodian and almost no support at what was known as "The School With No Name." Her students, in grades one through six, were all from the streets.

Stacey Bess has said that she originally had signed on for six months hoping that when it was over she would be relocated to a school in a nice neighborhood. But she discovered that these children needed her and she could have an impact on their lives. She stayed for 11 years.

The movie was inspired by Bess' 1994 book "Nobody Don't Love Nobody," which recounts how she took a compassionate and nonjudgmental approach, giving the children unconditional love.
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