A few Photos from what is now Dubbed, “We See You Saturday”

On Saturday morning, while delivering clothing, rosaries, prayer cards and 575 sack lunches made by St. Paul the Apostle “Sandwich Builders” (see Sunday, November 11, 2007) the thought occurred that taking time to deliver supplies to the forgotten homeless is about “seeing” people. In much the same way that Jesus takes the time to see the short guy Zacchaeus up in the tree (see Sunday, November 4, 2007) and blesses him, we do the same when we take time to encounter and “see” the normally unseen. As Christ’s followers, each time we take the time to see “short” people (those who are unseen because they are inadequate, despised and rejected), we bless them as Jesus blessed Zacchaeus. Jesus came to stay under his roof! He came into his house – his very soul and that was the blessing. This past Saturday morning, the delivery team brought Christ under the roofs – into the very souls of people who are misunderstood, despised, rejected and never seen. (Who does that sound like?) By showing up – team members said to these people, “I see you. Come down from that tree! Jesus wants to dwell in your house today – the home of your soul.” Who will you see today that is “short” and inadequate? Who can you bless so that the healing Christ can come to stay in their house? While contemplating those questions, view a few photos above from what is now dubbed, “We See You Saturday.”

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Thankful for Volunteers - St. Paul's Friday Night "Sandwich Builders" in Pictures

From a circle of prayer to hand drawing "we love you and think of you" prayer cards - more than 200 parishioners gathered to build sandwiches and stuff bags with fruits, treats and water. More than 40 hygiene kits were donated as well as socks, t-shirts and underwear. What's coming in Monday's blog? Pictures of Saturday's delivery team and their encounters under-the-bridges. It's dubbed, "We see you Saturday!"

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Tsunami Hits Home

Tsunami Effect (see November 8, 2007) hits home. Anonymous said ... "We've felt these issues first hand in our family. My nephew had 3 tours of duty and came back a broken man. He has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress disorder and had been medicated but his violence has ruined a marriage and prevents him from being a real father. Right now he is living on someone's couch, his soon to be ex wife is equally poor and has had to move into temporary housing. There are so many victims of war!"

Rejoice in the Mourning

At the core of each person’s “homelessness” is an insatiable longing for the Infinite that is built inside each one of us from birth (see Built to Wander, Saturday, October 27, 2007). Fr. Ronald Rolheiser builds and expands this thesis in three works, Against an Infinite Horizon, The Restless Heart and Holy Longing. In a snapshot, because we are built to experience the infinite God, we will always remain restless, lonely and in poverty on our earthly pilgrimage until we come to know the eternal God.

Modern life provides each of us with more insatiable earthly longings than ever before. Americans in particular have more food options, more beverages, more shopping, more sex options than ever before. We digress from our single "Holy Longing" that will fulfill all other longings and bring us home. As a result of these excessive modern choices, more and more people experience broken homes, broken marriages, broken careers, broken commitments and everyone experiences “homelessness” in some shape or form.

In fact, at the core of everyone’s poverty also appears to be the ever escalating fear of commitment. People today have a major resistance to permanent commitment. We are always leaving ourselves open to other possibilities. Why? We inherently know that every choice is a renunciation of thousands of other options. We confuse our being built for the infinite God with always wanting to remain open to infinite earthly options; if I marry this person than I cannot marry a million others; if I commit to being a world-class athlete than I can not be a rock star or a millionaire stock broker; if I have this then I cannot have that.

The path to ending everyone’s “homelessness” according to Rolheiser is to take the inward journey to the infinite God while rejecting all temporal infinite possibilities. In order to do this, one must mourn; if married, then mourn that I cannot marry a million others; if celibate, then mourn that I will leave this life never enjoying sex; if living in Los Angeles then mourn that I will never live in New York, Paris or Jackson Hole, Wyoming. All choices in this life must lead to mourning all the others left behind. Rolheiser says we are to “mourn the fact that we will die unfulfilled, incomplete.” Ultimately, when we fail to mourn in this way, our lives yield to daunting depression, incompleteness and a restlessness that robs us of life itself.

In summary, Rolheiser states, “In this life there is no finished symphony. We are built for the Infinite. Our hearts, our minds, and souls are abysses, canyons without a bottom.” That is why for centuries we pray a great daily prayer at the conclusion of each rosary said; “To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.” Some with more modern spirituality would discard the prayer as depressing. Is it really? More realistically it is a great summary of our loneliness and our “homelessness.” Perhaps, once we mourn with Mary her loss and now our loss, we too will rejoice with her in giving birth to the Infinite Lord within our lives. We can know firsthand the angel’s words, “Rejoice, Mary, the Lord is with you!”

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Tsunami Effect

Kimberly Hefling and Kathy Matheson, Associated Press Writers report that veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to a VA homeless report to be released today. Homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are now found in shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job. The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars. 2005 data estimated that 194,254 homeless people out of 744,313 on any given night in the U.S. were veterans.

There are now concerns for veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. "We're going to be having a tsunami [effect] … because the mental health toll from this war is enormous," said Daniel Tooth, director of veterans affairs for Lancaster County, Pa. The Iraq vets seeking help with homelessness are more likely to be women, less likely to have substance abuse problems, but more likely to have mental illness — mostly related to post-traumatic stress, said Pete Dougherty, director of homeless veterans programs at the VA.

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More on the Internet:

National Alliance to End Homelessness: http://www.naeh.org

County of Lancaster: http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us

Veterans Affairs: Department: http://www.va.gov

U.S. Vets: http://usvetsinc.org

Community of Poverty Stricken and not-so-poverty Stricken Psycho-spiritual Blogger Babblers, Scribes, Mystics and Prophets trying to find the way Home

The Blogger stats department tells us a great story of many visitors dropping in here for a daily dose of online community and faith sharing. Some have emailed and said they are having difficulty with posting a thought and using the COMMENT feature at the end of each story. For you more experienced bloggers, your forgiveness please! Here is a short step-by-step guide as to why and how to blog at HIA.

After reading the daily post, take a short moment and reflect on your reaction to it. How did it make you feel - happy, sad, angry, energized, empathetic, sympathetic, frustrated?

• Next, be firmly aware of your feelings and reaction. They will help you with "blogger therapy." Now you are ready to benefit psychologically and spiritually by writing a sentence or two in order to express interior strengths or struggles and to promote inner growth. It's sort of a catharsis (no sure what that means but it sounded good).

• Bless yourself and pray a Glory be... (important step 'cause its not about you) Click on COMMENTS (bottom right of each daily story) and begin to type your thoughts in the big white box in the upper right corner. If you don't trust your spelling, first jot ideas down in MS Word. Use spellcheck and then copy/paste what you wrote into the big white box.

• Lastly, the fastest way to send your thoughts into cyber space is to click inside the dot next to "Anonymous" underneath where it says, "Choose an identity." Ignore the section below that asks for USERNAME/PASSWORD. That is not for you. If you go by "Anonymous" do put your initials at the end of your story. This way others can communicate with you and run with a thread or idea.

• Okay, you're almost done. Just go to "Word Verification" and type in the wavy letters you see in the small white box below. This step is good for everyone because it protects the blog from spam. The letters are cAsE sensitive. (Over time you will discover which-is-which more easily) Don't worry if you do not key in the word properly the first time. If it is incorrect it will generate a new word and you get to start over and feel really stupid. It is a great way to gain humility!

With all that said - please relax (possibly go fix yourself a nice cup of tea - but come back). Then, enjoy blogging with our little community of poverty stricken and not-so-poverty stricken psycho-spiritual blogger babblers, scribes, mystics and prophets trying to find the way home. Who knows, possibly you will be the one to find your dream House or point someone else to theirs. Welcome to Homeless In America!

Readers' Thoughts - From Summary to Action and then Reaction

Summarizing Built to Wander, (see Saturday, October 27, 2007) Anonymous said... "Rolheiser's thesis appears to function as the backdrop of Biblical History. The archetypal man and woman of Genesis, Adam and Eve, are driven from their original home - made homeless wanderers. Abraham the father of faith is a wandering Aramean, looking for the Promised Land. The Israelites, freed from Egyptian bondage, are nonetheless homeless wanderers for forty years, again looking forward to their final destination. Jesus and his disciples have "no place to rest [their] head[s]." St. Paul, the Apostle, wanders around the Mediterranean, announcing the both present and coming Kingdom."

In the blog, From City Dump to Saint, (see Saturday, November 3, 2007) one reader finds a call to action. R.S. said ... "It's comforting and scary to even contemplate such spirituality. It's comforting from the standpoint that even I, in my poverty, can get closer to Jesus Christ. It's scary in that--does this mean I'm accountable? It sure does."

Lastly, Gufbal1981's reaction to Homeless Child, (see Monday, November 5, 2007). "This is a deep poem. It's an unfortunate truth that this person sees exactly how the majority of society views him/her. It's a shame that society won't even try to imagine what it's like to be in that persons shoes! What it's like to not have food every single day...to feel what it's like to have your body go into starvation mode...to just be outside on a cold night with no shelter or blanket, and relying on body heat for warmth. It's unimaginable for most that have all the comforts of life. If this person could only see the few that have mercy and compassion for those less fortunate, maybe he/she would be able to rise from the ashes and know that there will be help."

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Homeless Child

I sit, cold and alone on the street …
Eyeing a piece of dog chewed meat.
Five days I haven't had a bit to eat ...

And my stomach aches, my body is weak.
The wind that rustles through the trees …
Pierces my skin, and all warmth flees.
I find shelter with my brother …
Lying in a doorway next to each other.
The world has said it cares …
But in reality no one dares.
The site of me makes them sick.
It’s an appearance I do not pick.
Please, give me aid …
Or from this life I soon will fade.

by an Anonymous Homeless Person, October 10, 2006

Come Down from that Tree!

A wealthy man in Jericho had heard the news. A poor homeless Messiah by the name of Jesus was at that very moment getting ready to pass through Jericho. The rich guy's name is Zacchaeus. He's an effective tax collector in Jericho and a powerful man. Quickly he runs to the outskirts of town to see Jesus. He had heard that he was a Prophet mesmerizing crowds everywhere. But why seek after a dusty and dirty poor Jew like Jesus when he was rich, clean and living in luxury? Obviously his wealth was not satisfying him. He chose to brave Times-Square-like crowds that were gathering on the countryside.

Okay, he may be wealthy but genetics were not on his side. He's short. He reminds us of that one relative that some have – the one lovingly nicknamed aunt or uncle "shortie." Clearly, he has learned how to compensate for being short by buying big houses, owning big chariots and powerful horses. Today, he compensates once again. Ahead of Jesus, Zacchaeus climbs up a tree that overhangs onto the highway. Finally they make eye contact. He sees Jesus - Wow! He has the beatific vision that we all hope for and it happens to this sinner. Jesus shouts, "Zacchaeus, come down." In essence Jesus says, "I see you. I love you. I want to come into your house. I want to dwell in the house of your very soul."

What happens next is both dramatic and powerful for a wealthy short guy that when he woke up was expecting a normal day like any other day. But this day became radically different. Because he has had the beatific vision of seeing God, he discovers there is only one response to make: Zacchaeus says, "Behold, half of my possessions, [mucho dinero] Lord, I will give to the poor and if I have extorted from anyone I shall repay it four times over."

So in a nutshell, Zacchaeus demonstrates what really happens when each of us truly encounters Jesus. Not just intellectually reading or hearing about Jesus, but when we really see him. Our immediate response should be to give to the poor and to the homeless. Some Christians believe serving the poor is a charism or apostolate reserved for Franciscans or for workers at a rescue mission on Skid Row. In reality, Zacchaeus tells us that it is the mission of each Christian to give to the poor. Like Zacchaeus, we are to turn our wills to God by "climbing the tree" to see Jesus. For most, "climbing the tree" is getting out of bed and driving our cars to Sunday service. The tree itself is our Sunday gathering. It is where we look out and see Jesus in each other, in the liturgy of the Word and in the breaking of the bread. How many will respond like Zacchaeus?

From City Dump to Saint

What’s up with Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, France making it to the front page of an American blog magazine about homelessness? Aren’t the saints super stars who never had bad days? Au contraire! Saints inspire us because of their unique poverty-driven relationship with God. In our admiration of them we usually focus on their holiness and their extraordinary charity towards other people. But digging deeper you'll discover that most saints share experiences that are common to our lives such as extreme loss, pain, suffering, ignorance and homelessness. St. Bernadette was one of these saints.

About 150 years ago St. Bernadette lived in a small French village by the name of Lourdes. Her family had just lost a milling business and their home. They had nowhere to go, so this family of eight occupied a small jail that had been abandoned due to pitiable sanitary conditions. Bernadette's family was very poor as the father tried to get a job as a day laborer. The family was on the brink of starvation to the point that one of her brothers was caught eating candle wax in church. One day in February of 1858 Bernadette went to the city dump looking for free firewood to heat the home. She saw a woman she called a “creature” who beckoned to her. Bernadette prayed the rosary with this woman, who asked her to come back and see her again. Bernadette was illiterate and only knew three prayers - the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Glory Be …

Bernadette continued visiting this woman but she did not understand that she was Our Blessed Mother. She was completely ignorant, she did not speak French, she only knew the prayers of the rosary and was deemed too illiterate to learn her catechism and receive communion. Yet Mary picked her in her ignorance and in her poverty!

Crowds began to gather around Bernadette during the 18 visitations of the Blessed Mother. Many tried to give her or her family money and in spite of her poverty she grew angry and refused. Once during her visit with Our Lady, Mary asked Bernadette to eat grass and clean her face. The locals thought she was crazy as they saw her digging through the mud and wiping it on her face; a village woman slapped her face. But Bernadette persevered and clear water appeared and she was able to clean her face.

From this site came a miraculous spring that has cured many people. Today over 6 million people come to Lourdes for healing. The real miracle is witnessing the conversion of people's hearts and souls.

And all this happened because a simple, little 14 year old girl heard the call of Mary and responded to it. As for Bernadette, the Sisters of Charity in Nevers took her in and taught her to read and write. Her writings remain to this day a source of inspiration for all of us. When you read about St. Bernadette, contrast her physical poverty against her spiritual richness. She found her home in Jesus' heart.
Written by L.S.