Though He was Rich He became Poor

Long before Jesus journeyed here to rescue you and me from our human brokenness and poverty he eternally existed in splendor as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Talk about wealth. He had it all! In comparison, he would make the wealth of Bill Gates look like a molecule of sand on Mars. He alone has immortality and he dwells in unapproachable light, so much so that no human being can see his glory. (Timothy 6:11-16) But he gave it all up. Jesus Christ set the example for the rich to serve the poor. But give it all up for poor loser hobos? How unjust is that? Love is unjust! Jesus did not wait for us to become good before loving us in our human suffering. While we were yet bankrupt sinners, he lavished his wealth upon us. Guess what? Now we are to go and do likewise. Though he was rich in every way, he became poor to rescue you and me from our poverty. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Here are a few questions to consider in order to help assess your personal wealth. How are you rich today? Do you have money? Are you smart? Did you go to good schools? Were you blessed with good looks? Do you go to the gym to workout and have good health? Do you have good doctors and healthcare? Do you have a car and a house? Do you have the right color of skin to get a good job? Do you have a clean and coherent American English way of speaking? Do you have friends and connections? If you said yes to one or more of these questions, guess what? You're wealthy. God is now asking each one of us to lay down all of our wealthy assets just as he emptied himself and to enter the world of the homeless, poor and needy around us. Remember, the kingdom of God does not belong to the rich and powerful. The kingdom belongs to another very large family. It has brothers named Charity and sisters named Mercy, and a whole houseful of cousins, such as Kindness, and Favor, and Goodwill, and Pity, Thanksgiving, and Reward.

Proverbs 14:21 Unplugged & Updated

When Jesus developed his preaching of compassion for the poor, there is no doubt he was acutely aware of piercing Old Testament scriptures such as Proverbs 14:21 which says, "Anyone who despises his neighbor commits sin. But blessed is the person who is kind to the poor."

Reflecting on Proverbs 14:21, an updated version would go something like this... Anyone that despises his poor neighbor such as to overlook him, is not friendly to him, ignores him or does not interact with him is adding to his neighbor’s poverty. Essentially we tend to “despise” the poor neighbor in our society because of his poverty, or because of his “pedigree” and lowly education. We despise him for the circumstances he is in; or on account of his weakness. Anyone who passively “despises” is sinning. In the Catholic faith it is called the sin of “omission.” In this case, we do not sin because of something we have done but in what we have failed to do. Sins of omission can be grave. The result of all sin is to become unhappy and miserable. But happy is the person who has mercy on the poor. He will not experience the psychological and eternal penalties of sin. They regard the poor in their low estate by helping them, having conversation with them and blessing them. Happy the one!

Rad Guide to Living out of your Porsche

In most major cities, a full-time worker earning minimum wage can no longer afford even a one-bedroom apartment. As a result, more and more people are choosing to live out of their vehicles. They are known as the "mobile homeless." The problem is more complex when kids are involved. The children must be rehearsed to tell anyone who asks the question, “Where are you living?” to answer with something like, "We’re staying with friends!"

Because mobile homelessness is illegal in most cities and the fines are hefty, it is not always the rent savings one would think. The city of Lynnwood, a suburb of Seattle, passed an ordinance a few years ago imposing penalties of 90 days in jail or fines of up to $1,000 against people caught living in their cars. Peter Van Giesen, a code enforcement officer for the town, said that up to 20 cars a night were found with people parking near a park. "Most of these people were trying to find work," Mr. Van Giesen said. (see http://www.nytimes.com/)

Radified is a "mobile homeless" blogger living in Laguna Beach. He refers to his group as “mobile hobos.” He is known for his street-smart wisdom in the book, Rad Guide to Living out of your Porsche. (see radified.com/blog) He prepares the working poor to live out of their cars in Southern California’s unaffordable housing market. Essential to the lifestyle is living out of an old VW Van, preferably from the 60's but you receive bonus points for living out of a Porsche. A cell phone and wireless laptop is a must. Extras include having a list of all coffee shops with free wireless access and carrying a Bible. He encourages "mobile hobos" to take comfort in knowing that Jesus was a homeless guy. "And Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has no where to lay his head.'” (Matthew 8:20)

Do We have Amnesia in this Country?

Provoking some strong comments was yesterday's, I Worked Hard when I came to this Country! What's your Problem? (see Wednesday, September 26, 2007) Cecil B. writes, "I am so with you on this, I hear people get upset with homeless just by thinking them not trying hard for themselves but it's not that simple."

One blogger is disheartened by "good charitable" people who have surprisingly out-of-character reactions to to the homeless. L.S. said, "Thanks for bringing up a topic that I have found to be occurring more frequently. I have been disheartened of late by comments made by a few friends and relatives concerning homelessness and illegal immigration. Their comments range from 'they need to get a job' through blaming the immigrants for their kids not getting jobs. And these are really decent people who normally are the most charitable people... I just don't understand."

The post poignant is this comment regarding the homeless immigrant by R.S. "Where were these complainers when there were people who were willing and still are willing to work for less than minimum wage? Do we have amnesia in this country? Now we want to throw people away. By the way, have you checked the IRS website, etc.--undocumented immigrants make up about $60 billion (not million) of tax revenue. How about that, people who don't have to pay taxes since they are undocumented but, do?"

I Worked Hard when I came to this Country! What's your Problem?

We spend a lot of time and energy in our days judging and second guessing others, their actions and motives. Barely an hour goes by without observing something someone has done and all of sudden we have an opinion of it. Recently, a parishioner walked up and confronted a man standing with other homeless men and said, “So when are you going to go get a job? I worked hard when I came to this country! What’s your problem?” The man humbly thanked him for the comments and did not reply. The man receiving the admonishment was actually a homeless volunteer and had a very good day job.

When talking about homelessness and poverty with many Americans, the topic evokes in them a response that they’ve got it all figured out. For many, they have judged that the problem is quite easily fixed when all the lazy people get jobs and all the drug users stop using. But this feeling that we have to sort people and situations out in our minds and make judgments about them is in reality quite oppressive. Henri Nouwen once said, “Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom. Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy.” Jesus once said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.”

Rabbi - "Poverty Rips at the Spirit of Men, Women and Children"

In reference to the ancient prophets and rabbis, Rabbi Sim Glasser (left) states, "The ancients taught that there is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty. That it is the most terrible of sufferings – because not only is it physically intolerable, sadly unjust, but also because it rips at the spirit of men women and children created in the divine image." By today’s standards, the words of the ancient prophet Amos (8:4-7)would almost sound like a modern-day blog rant when he says. “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’ You skimp the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. The Lord has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: ‘I will never forget a thing they have done!’”

HIA ponders how Amos spoke out thousands of years ago to Israel and offers to us today a long history of humankind’s inclination toward abuse of the poor. He cast a strong indictment against the wealthy business owners and the powerful leaders who oppress the poor. Similar to our own Hanukkah and Christmas holidays, many business owners can hardly wait for their sacred days to be over so that they can get back to cut throat business dealing. Amos’ indictment is against deceptive business practices (nowadays, check out a new Verizon two-year contract that states, “text and pics access, $0.00.” Nowhere to be found is the charge of .25 cents per message, but the “access” is free!). Also they had they had a disdain for religious obligations (most of us December holiday revelers exchange gifts – yet only a small percent actually go to worship services throughout the year). In Amos’ time, making the ephah small meant that merchants cheated on the amount of goods they gave the customer - (this is not a total comparison, but unexpectedly stop in a Ralphs or Albertsons when you normally shop at Vons and you will not receive 2-for-1 and other store discounts. As a drop-in shopper, a $50 grocery bill can easily overcharge the casual consumer by $10 or more.) To get rich faster at the expense of the poor they even rigged the scales, sold the poor off as slaves for a pittance (sounds like our current third-world textile labor force working for “pennies” a day) and even bragged how the hungry poor buy the useless chaff of the wheat (seems like there is a comparison here, but can’t think of one at the moment).

Ultimately in this story of ancient irony, how about comparing the 350 or so billion we spend on American Defense to the piddling amounts we dole out via welfare? or to our educational systems? Is this not the rich cheating the poor as well? God promises never to forget any of their actions. In the gospel of Luke 16:1-13 we recall Jesus’ story of the crooked bookkeeper, who cancelled his master's debts in order to feather his own nest. “The children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light." You cannot serve both God and wealth!”

Thankful for Volunteers

Volunteers selflessly place the poor and needy first. They are a strong sign of God’s Kingdom here on earth. Their lavish self-donation and generosity is a witness to the fact that Christ is still at work among us.

Today, Marco writes about meeting a young man we nicknamed "Marvelous Marvin" just a few weeks ago. You'll see why in just a moment. Marco also talks about his recent volunteerism ... “What filled my heart with joy the most was sharing little moments with these needy people. Personally, I haven't done anything that I deserve to be thanked. I did not give from my own. I just gave what [food] was there. I need to thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to understand many things. In two hours working with the homeless I saw things that before I only read about in the Bible. The people really touched my heart. There was a young homeless man, I do not recall his name, but I think it is Marvin. He did something that makes me still feel very touched. Marvin saw a poor old guy that was feeling cold and was asking for a sweater as he did not own anything to cover himself. A worker told him that clothing was distributed on Tuesday. The old man said he was cold now and he had to spend the night outside. Marvin, out of his own poverty stepped up to him and gave him the jacket off his back. It was a great lesson and reminded me of the poor widow in one of Jesus episodes in the New Testament, the one that gave to the Temple her last coin, all she had. I just thought to let all of you know about this story."

Volunteers just like Marco daily support many outreaches serving the poor all across America. In the trenches, they put compassion into action. For each of them, we are thankful. In the words of Christ, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Please Vote in the HIA Polls A Few Scrolls Down

Angel Street Stories

Just the other day, “Dary” and “Rubi,” sat on the cold damp cement with their backs pressed against the church wall eating a modest meal of bread, rice and beans. Thirty-something, they had met on the streets a few years ago. At the time, Rubi was a prostitute and Dary was a drug dealer. On this day, the couple looked worn and tired. While extending an invitation to attend our homeless bible study group, it was apparent Dary could teach it. He confessed he had learned the Bible by repeatedly consuming it cover-to-cover for two years straight while in solitary confinement. It was the only personal item permitted in the stark empty cell.

Rubi hung on Dary’s every word. Rejected by a wealthy father, her real hero is this man who survived prison. She has become a believer through his testimony. She intently listens as he shares his story of an apparent encounter with an angel of the Lord. On one occasion while in solitary confinement, he was let out for a brief social hour. Immediately, a man walked up to Dary, one he had never seen before and pointed his finger boldly proclaiming, “God wants you.” He continued … “God is working in your life. There is no such thing as time. Time does not exist. God wants you to live in the moment and give your all to Him.” He took him to a corner and opened up the Word of God to him. He taught him about why the Christ had to suffer, die and be resurrected and why we unite with him in his suffering and resurrection. Dary never saw the man again.

Today, Dary no longer deals drugs and Rubi is not a prostitute. However, Rubi is HIV positive and also suffers from hepatitis and a bone disease. The doctors say she should be bed ridden. Yet, as a homeless person she continues to walk many miles each day. The good news is that they know who their Lord and Savior is. However, they still have temptations. Rubi says, “It’s not when the drug dealers drop off a $5 or $10 supply that we get tempted. It’s when they drop off $500. A big load is difficult to resist.” When asked to receive an anointing and prayers, they replied, “Please pray for [Rubi's] healing and that we could become clean.” We pray - we remember.

U.S. Pets Lapping Up Luxury - Homeless in Lap of Poverty

While many of the country's poor sift through dumpsters for food, we sometimes spend money in ways that seem to ignore their needs. In one such instance, many pets for example are being fetched the finer treats of life for a pretty penny. In 2007, pet food sales are expected to reach $16.1 billion. Every dog needs to dine, however the all-natural/custom bakery treats sector is growing 2-3 times faster than regular pet foods. One company catering the trend welcomes pets into bakeries (to sniff birthday cakes & nosh get-well cookies) and creates luxury personalized items for them. It’s a growing trend nationwide of treating pets as family members by spoiling them with luxury treats. One major player's revenue was about $10 million last year. They plan a total of 130 doggie bakeries by 2010.

“Don't help the Homeless!” it’s all about “Getting High”

Regarding, St. Vincent de Paul Unplugged and Updated (see Tuesday, September 18, 2007) Anonymous writes, "Sometimes I am conflicted in my response to the homeless and would like your advice. I am not around the homeless much but when I see them, I do acknowledge them. However, I am not sure what I can do more without creating problems. I have a few friends who are recovered addicts and temporarily lived on the streets and they tell me that it's all about getting high on the streets. They said if I give them clothes or soaps etc. they will sell them or fight over them. They advise me to acknowledge and be friendly but to move on. My experience with homeless is not in downtown or at a soup kitchen. It's isolated homeless at a park or outside a store. And without judging I do think they are probably high. I just feel bad that I can't do anything for them. Can you advise?"