Poor Man

The junction box we plug into on Sunday mornings is about 10 yards from the statue shown in the previous post. This last Sunday, as has happened several times before, there was an unmistakable smell around that section of wall behind those bushes. It was obvious that one of the many homeless people who haunt that area used the modicum of privacy there to relieve himself. I got to thinking how in doing so he had committed a crime for which he could have gone to jail by doing something each of us has to do a number of times every single day. But he was forced to do it technically in public because there is no public facility available at night for many blocks in that part of downtown.

The church is attempting to do something about the homeless problem in their neighborhood. They have set up a ministry called “Compassion Corner.” There are a couple of rooms there with a bunch of chairs, a TV, reading material, and hot coffee and such. But probably more important than any of the physical provisions, they talk and get to know the folks and give the gift of friendship. I heard things that I knew had to be true; that many of these folks are highly educated and were once normal, productive members of society. But bad things happen to people. Family tragedy, business disaster, health and mental problems. Any number of things can topple the delicate balance of normalcy and sanity and another person becomes lost on the street. I see them and know that I hang by a thread. It could easily be broken any number of ways. And I am a paycheck or two away from ruin. I could easily be joining those standing by the intersection with a cardboard sign. So while I can, I try to do a little something to help. Some would say it's a waste, there is no way to do anything that will really make any difference.

Jesus said that the poor you will always have with you. He said this in the context of the protests re: the expensive liquid Mary of Bethany “wasted” when she anointed him. Some have argued that this means trying to deal with poverty is trumped by higher priorities. It certainly is discouraging in that according to Jesus, the problem will indeed never be fixed. No matter what you do, you won't succeed. You may not even make a dent. But I can't get around Jesus' words about doing something “for the least of these, my brethren.” That giving even a cup of water to such a one in Jesus' name is the same as giving it to Jesus himself. That can never be a waste.

My department head when I was teaching liked to tell a story about a guy walking down the beach. Due to some natural happenstance I know nothing about, thousands of starfish had washed up on the beach. The man stooped down occasionally as he walked, picked one of them up and tossed it back into the sea. His companion commented that there were so many, there was no way he could possibly help the situation. What he was doing really didn't matter. The man tossed another starfish into the water and said, “It mattered to that one.”