Belonging To Others

When we see how alike we are, we love each other.  We love each other when we remember that we belong to each other.  

As we see that we need others to forgive us, we forgive others.  We forgive others because we want to be forgiven.  As Jesus instructed us, if we forgive others their failings, God our Heavenly Father will forgive us.  Yet, as Jesus added, if you do not forgive others, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you.*  We are forgiven to the extent we forgive.  We determine our destinies in how forgiving we are of others, and so our fates and the fates of others are tied up in each others' hearts.  

We forgive each other because we realize we belong to each other.  We forgive one another because we do not want to try to separate ourselves from each other.  We forgive each other because we do not want to live under the illusion that we are apart from each other.  The reality is that we are a part of each other.  

Being part of one another, we see we must love one another.  Seeing we are intertwined with each other, we know we must forgive each other not only to love others, but also to love ourselves.  

Realizing we need to be forgiven too, we are realizing we need to be loved.  Forgiving each other, and thus loving each other, we love ourselves.  

I have seen these truths lived out amongst the homeless people here in Redwood City.  Although they have their disagreements, they forgive one another because they love one another.  

Recently I was in a parking lot with a couple of homeless people I know, who here I'll call "Kimberly" and "Benny."  Kimberly and Benny were arguing.  Although they were not yelling at each other, they clearly were not pleased with each other.  Even though I had already started driving away, I stopped.  I pleaded with them, "One thing."  They both stopped what they were doing and were totally intent on what I was about to say.  I implored them, "Please love one another."  

Kimberly immediately replied, "Anywhere other than Redwood City, it wouldn't be this hard."  

Having made my plea, I resumed driving away.  Often it's after the moment has passed that I think of what I would have said at the time.  

Had I thought of it at the time, I would have said to Kimberly, "Sister, stop making excuses.  You and I have the same bad habit: we need to stop making excuses."  

By coming up with excuses, we seek to absolve ourselves of responsibility.  As the French priest Jean-Pierre de Caussade noted, our duty to God rests in the present moment.  To embrace the present moment, we need to be accountable for our actions in the present moment.  We must admit where we have gone wrong and how we can improve.  I struggle with this call to accept what I have done and how I can better behave.  Typically I start to explain.  I begin supplying the context for my actions.  Often people need not know what else was going on when I did what I did. Rather, we can be silent and simply focus on what we are called to do in that moment, namely, examine our own actions and how we can conduct ourselves better next time.  

To help me better prepare for another opportunity to take responsibility for my own actions, I am encouraged by my sister Kimberly.  She reminds me that I am not the only one challenged by the need to acknowledge the shortcomings in our own behavior.  

I see this and other similarities between Kimberly and myself, since I know we are more alike than many people think.  I look past the differences between her and me, so she can help me to grow.  Someone once told me, "Kimberly does meth."  Were I to dismiss Kimberly because supposedly she is addicted to methamphetamines, I would lose the insights I gain about myself through her.  Welcoming her into my heart, I allow her to teach me about myself.  Seeing the commonalities between her and me, I realize that she and I are alike in important ways.  
The Dutch priest Henri Nouwen noted this truth, that we share more similarities than we initially think, during his time living with mentally disabled persons at one of the homes in the L'Arche movement founded by Jean Vanier.  Nouwen realized that living with mentally disabled persons brought him closer to his own vulnerabilities.  He explained that 

While at first it seemed quite obvious who was handicapped and who was not, living together day in and out made the boundaries less clear. . . . And when I had the courage to look deeper, to face my emotional neediness, my inability to pray, my impatience and restlessness, my many anxieties and fears, the word 'handicap' started to have a whole new meaning.  The fact that my handicaps were less visible . . . didn't make them less real.  

At first it may seem very clear who is the one with the problems.  We can easily conclude, "That drug addict is not like me."  We can quickly misapprehend ourselves and others, and mistakenly declare, "That person is messed up; I am fine."  Sooner or later we realize we share some of the same frailties that societally despised persons exhibit.  I have been told that Kimberly suffers from depression, and that she takes meth to cope with the depression she feels.  I suffer from depression if my blood sugar level drops too low, and so I cope with depression by consuming sugar.  Kimberly is addicted to meth, and I am addicted to sugar.  I deliberately use that word: if I do not get enough sugar, my mood not only plummets, but my perceptions become severely distorted.  Since the only chemical recourse I have to alleviate my depression is sugar, I am literally addicted to sugar.  While Kimberly has chosen a less healthy, less socially acceptable, and more disruptive way to cope with her depression, nevertheless the fact remains that she and I suffer from the same problem, that of depression.  

When we glance at someone, we may dismiss that person.  If we only get a glimpse of someone, we may think we have nothing in common with that person.  At first it may seem quite obvious who is disabled and who is not.  Initially it might seem apparent who is the one with problems and who is the one without problems.  Once we get to know people, and once we see how others are like us, it might become less clear who is who.  

Kimberly lives in a tent pitched behind some bushes.  I live in a Catholic Worker House.  Kimberly suffers from depression, and so do I.  Just because I cope with my mental disability in a more socially acceptable way, in a less unhealthy manner, and less disruptively than Kimberly deals with hers doesn't mean she and I don't share a mental disability.  Just because my mental disability is less evident than Kimberly's doesn't negate the fact that she and I suffer from the same condition.  

Kimberly and I share a common hardship.  Having seen that we both have the same deficiency, we are empowered to love one another.  In the past, it could have seemed only like a curse; now through the light of love, it is a blessing since it enables us to understand each other better and thus to love one another.  When we see why our neighbor acts the way she acts, we come to have compassion on her.  Realizing that we share much which is important, we come not only to respect our neighbor, but truly to love our neighbor.  We see that in loving our neighbor, we are loving ourselves.  We see that God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves** since we belong to each other.  We see that to have peace, we must remember that we belong to each other, as Saint Teresa of Calcutta implicitly urged.  

It seems that those who are homeless here in Redwood City have realized these truths.  Weeks after Kimberly and Benny exchanged sharp words in that parking lot, I crossed paths with Benny.  As we were talking, I mentioned Kimberly.  He asked me, if I were to see her, to tell her that he had her bicycle.  I told him I would convey that message to her if I saw her.  

Then my tear ducts opened.  I added, "That's why I love you all so much, all of you who are homeless here in Redwood City.  Even if you're angry with each other, you still help each other."  
Benny, who already had been speaking in a low tone of voice, lowered his voice even further.  He replied softly, "Yeah... we look out for each other."  

We look past our differences because we know are similar.  We forgive when we realize how similar we are.  When we see our faults in others, we are led to forgive them, for both their sakes as well as ours.  We forgive because our hearts are tied up with each other.  

We forgive because we love.  We love because we belong to each other.  We love because we belong to God.  We are a part of each other because God made us to love Him and one another.  In forgiving, and thus in loving, we embrace not only each other, but also the truth that we belong to each other and to God, and thus become who God has always intended us to be.  

* Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:25-26 
** Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 

Loving Through Humility

We find true, lasting, limitless power in love.  Those who serve become great.  However, if we raise ourselves above others, we will be lowered.  Yet if we lower ourselves, we will be raised up.  As we bow before others, we are empowered to lift others up.  Thus, if we are humble, we will love our neighbor as ourselves.*  

And so in today's Gospel reading, we hear that Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying 

The greatest among you must be your servant.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.**  

The greatest one among us has served us, and has served us better than anyone else.  Jesus came to serve.***  He taught us The Word in all He said and did, and thus in His great love for us, He showed us that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life.****  He has loved us so much that He was obedient even unto death, death on a cross,***** so that we would be saved from our sins.  

If we too wish to be great, then we too must serve.  A servant is not greater than his master.******  We should not expect to be greater than Jesus.  When hardship befalls us, we should remember that we too are expected to suffer, just as Jesus suffered and died for us.  We are to die to ourselves so we can live for our neighbor, just as Jesus died for us.  

Essentially, we are called to consent to being humbled, just as Jesus gave His assent to His Heavenly Father humbling Him.  We are called to humility.  

Here we are not presented with easy work.  Our egos tend to get in the way.  I am reminded of an interaction someone related to me.  A young woman I know very well described how she was standing in a busy cafe.  A middle-aged woman who appeared impoverished was also standing at the counter in the process of ordering an item.  This older woman kept glancing nervously at a shopping cart loaded with personal items, which was stationed just outside the cafe.  The young woman gestured to the older woman and the merchandise she wanted.  The younger woman altruistically offered, "I'll get that for you."  

The older woman immediately and indignantly rebuffed the younger woman's generous offer, scoffing, "Oh, no, you won't!"  The younger woman was surprised and silently backed away.  The older woman seemed like she was too proud to accept help from someone else.  

Yet if we raise ourselves up, sooner or later we will be humbled.  At some point we will realize that we need others to help us.  The twentieth century Trappist monk Thomas Merton pointed out that "no man is an island."  If we isolate ourselves, we cannot survive.  

Yet if we acknowledge our weakness, we embrace the reality of our own humanity.  When we admit that we need others, we see the true nature of being human.  Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche residential communities for intellectually disabled persons, has noted, "If we deny our weakness and the reality of death, if we want to be strong and powerful always, we deny a part of our being, we live an illusion...  To be human is to be bonded together, each with our weaknesses and strengths, because we need each other.  

When we admit our needs, we are humble, since we are seeing ourselves as we really are.  If we acknowledge that we must rely on each other, we touch the reality of life.  

Otherwise we are destined for disaster, to have no peace.  Saint Teresa of Calcutta has explained, "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."  When we proudly insist on being completely independent of all others, we are setting ourselves up for ruin.  

However, we are set and ready to aid others if we but humble ourselves.  We witness this truth in the lives of many saints over the course of millenia.  Saint Anthony of Egypt, a great saint who was considerably sanctified during his life on earth in the third and fourth centuries, saw in a revelation numerous spiritual snares laid out in front of him.  It seemed that no matter where he would step, he was going to get caught and fall.  He prayed to God, asking Him what could possibly get him through such treacherous terrain.  He was told that with humility, he could successfully traverse such hazardous spiritual landscape.  

Saint Anthony lived for decades as a monk in the Egyptian desert.  He survived on what people brought to him.  Upon his consenting to his being so humbled, God greatly blessed Saint Anthony.  Through him God healed those who came to him.  

Once Saint Anthony had given his assent to being humbled, in effect he had agreed to let God use him as an instrument to heal others in the world, to kindle others' faith in God.  When a person, such as Saint Anthony, or like our Blessed Mother Mary, obediently acquiesces and submits to the will of God, God will utilize that person, helping others through her, since she has become an appropriate vehicle for positive change in the world due to her humility.  

At the time we may view humbling circumstances as embarrassing and demoralizing, but if we have faith in God, in time we come to realize that God will work wonders through such apparent misfortune.  Through our hardships we can come to better understand the difficulties others suffer, and thus we can become better equipped to help them.  

Thus the fifteenth century monk and priest Thomas a Kempis wrote that 

It often happens that after great consolation there comes profound desolation, or troublesome temptation, or bodily unease, or aggravation on the part of men, or loss of friends, or attacks of the enemy, or disturbance of soul, or derision from children or reproof from elders, or harsh correction by superiors.  All these are designed to humble the pride in our hearts, so that we might have compassion on those who are ill as well as on those who are tempted and troubled.  

When calamity strikes, understandably we feel overwhelmed.  However, we are not offered pointless agony when we encounter catastrophes.  If we look by the light of faith, that light by which God seeks to illumine the path before us, we can see that a deeper meaning rests below the surface of the apparent misfortune which has befallen us.  

In the midst of the adversity we face, and the greater understanding we are being given of others' suffering, we are being trained to comprehend others' plight, we are being led to be more compassionate, and thus to better love our neighbor.  How do we respond to such invitations from God?  Do we become angry at God?  Or do we realize that God is inviting us to open our hearts in the midst of trials and tribulations, so that, through intense pain, we can learn to love with greater hearts?  

In effect, when we find ourselves in the midst of humbling circumstances, in how we respond, we are faced with the question on which we will be judged for all of the choices we make in our entire lives.  When we are presented with chances to be humbled amidst afflictions, it really comes down to the question, are we going to choose to love?  

* Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 

** Matthew 23:11-12; Matthew 20:26; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14  
*** Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Luke 22:27; John 13:1-15  

**** John 14:6 

***** Philippians 2:8 

****** John 15:20 

Mercifully Giving Love

When we open our hearts, we give.  In whether we give, and with how much love, we ourselves determine how much we will receive.  To enable us to love, we are not to judge.  Rather than judge, we are to forgive.  In deciding not to judge, we give.  In choosing not to judge, we are set to receive.  

And so in today's Gospel reading we hear that 

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, 

packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."*  

If we judge others, we close our hearts to them and refuse to show them compassion.  In judging others, we are not listening to them.  As we judge others, we are deciding that we are not going to learn about them.  

I recently received a lesson about the importance of not judging others.  I've mentioned before a specific homeless woman who I'll call "Roslyn" again here.  For quite a while now I have seen Roslyn take many bottles of water when water is available to her.  Quite recently she told me that she takes so many water bottles because she has only one kidney.  Without knowing this fact, someone could look at her and conclude that she is greedy, selfish and inconsiderate.  Yet she has a particular need for water in a way that most other people do not.  

There is so much we don't know about other people.  Even if we did know everything there is to know about others, still we would not be in a position to judge others.  It is not our job.  Besides, in this life never will we know everything about others.  

Only Jesus knows everything about each of us.  Jesus knows every one of us better than any of us know anyone else.  Thus Jesus judges us according to The Word He has spoken, according to the law of love which is the rule presiding over all of our thoughts, words and actions.  

And so Saint John of the Cross explained, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on our love."  At the end of our lives, we will be judged by how much we have loved.  Thus we will do well to concern ourselves with how much we are loving, and not preoccupy ourselves with judging others.  

We are in a position to love others: the duty of this hour is to love our neighbor as ourselves.**  It is not our duty to judge our neighbor; we are not positioned to judge others.  

Insofar as we are not in a position to judge others, when we catch ourselves judging others, we can follow the example of Pope Francis.  Today, on the fourth anniversary of his becoming pope, we can recall how Pope Francis once asked, "Who am I to judge?"  

In this vein recently I overheard a conversation which has stayed with me.  I heard an addict, in the midst of relapsing, saying to his friend, "Please don't judge me."  His friend gave a reply something like, "I don't have your problem.  I'm not in your position, so I won't judge you."  

Even if we are facing the same type of difficulty as someone else, still we are not in the exact same set of circumstances as someone else.  Each person brings his or her own experiences to what he or she encounters.  Just because we have overcome a certain obstacle, we are not entitled to judge someone else who is struggling with that same challenge.  Rather than judge someone who is falling prey to adversity that we have successfully weathered, instead we can mercifully forgive that person's failings and thus compassionately love that person.  

Saint Teresa of Calcutta pointed out, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."  If we judge our neighbor, we are enslaving ourselves to our false ideas of our neighbor, and thus we are not free to love our neighbor.  By succumbing to our inaccurate views of our neighbor, we are closing our hearts to love.  However, when we refuse to let our misperceptions dictate our behavior, then we can open our hearts to love our neighbor.  

If we love our neighbor, then we are not judging our neighbor.  If we do not judge, we will not be judged.  If we give mercy, we will receive mercy.  Saint Therese of Lisieux wrote, "It is the Lord, it is Jesus, Who is my judge. Therefore I will try always to think leniently of others, that He may judge me leniently, or rather not at all, since He says: 'Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.'"

In however we think of our neighbor, in any event we give to our neighbor.  Instead of giving judgment to our neighbor, we can give love to our neighbor.   

According to the measure we give, with that same measure will be given to us.  What do we want to receive?  Considering that, let us give out of our hearts accordingly.  

* Luke 6:36-38 

** Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 

Ray Of Hope

This morning, as the sun was rising, I was helping my fellow Catholic Worker, Susan, clean up our front porch.  We walked out onto the porch this morning and saw that, as usual, there were some items there that no one took from the previous night.  

Here at the Redwood City Catholic Worker House, our front porch is a free zone.  Anyone can come and take anything that's sitting on the porch.  Persons here in Redwood City have come to be familiar with this practice.  People have become so accustomed to coming to the porch that some of them identify this ministry of giving free goods, which happens on the porch, as being synonymous with this particular Catholic Worker House.  Many times I've heard homeless folks refer to this Catholic Worker House simply as "The Porch."   

Since so many people know that they can drop off donations on our porch, people regularly show up to give clothes, toys, and household items and leave them on the porch.  In the morning, Catholic Workers clean up the porch, and remove items no one took away the previous day.  

After Susan and I had finished straightening up the porch this morning, I was walking to the van I use so I could put an empty box in it for usage sometime in the future.  As I was walking down the sidewalk, a young woman came out of the apartment complex next door to us.  

Before I moved in here at the Catholic Worker House, in that building next door lived low-income individuals.  Then the building was renovated, rents in it were raised, and middle-income persons moved into it.  As Larry, a Catholic Worker who co-founded this house dozens of years ago, has noted, due to rising rents and changing demographics, we have been witnessing changes in who we serve and where they live.  We have seen impoverished people forced to move due to lack of funds.   What part does compassion play in determining whether rents go up?  

As rent prices rise, our neighbors change.  Neighbors move, yet we gain new neighbors.  Interpersonal dynamics shift in the neighborhood.  While we used to have closer interactions with certain neighbors and feel more of a sense of community with some people who have moved on, now we cross paths with neighbors we hadn't met.  Yet they are our neighbors and provide opportunities for exchanges between us.  

And so I was conscious of this young woman this morning when she exited the apartment complex next door and greeted me.  Often I notice that wherever I am, many people do not wish others a good morning.  Frequently I notice that numerous people do not even acknowledge the presence of someone else when crossing paths.  

We have opportunities in each and every interaction to display the qualities we wish were present in our society.  What do we want to see in the world?  As Gandhi has noted, we must be the change we want to see in the world.  Do we wish to witness love being shown in the world, hospitality, warmth, and a welcoming friendliness?  Do you like to see the warmth of such light which emerges when others let that light shine through them?  

We should not underestimate the power of such little acts of love.  Saint Therese of Lisieux wrote of how she followed a little way of getting to Heaven by performing little gestures of kindness for others.  

We define ourselves by how we choose to act not only in grand matters but also in tiny ones.  In how we respond in every instant, we articulate the approach we take to life.  We call attention to the worth of every human choice by realizing the value of every action.  And in every little gesture we make, we send little signals of hope, rays of hope which emanate outward from our souls, to the souls of those with whom we come into contact.  Arising out of a consciousness of the value of every choice we make, we can proclaim with Saint Teresa of Calcutta that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.  

It may seem insignificant, but at many moments in our day we have the opportunity to welcome the stranger.  Do we do so?  We benefit when we examine our own practices.  Are we friendly to others?  Do we acknowledge others?  To recognize the presence of someone else is to recognize the dignity of that person.  

Are you concerned by how other people treat immigrants?  Do you greet others who you hear speaking in broken English?  Do you smile at them?  Do you try to help them to feel welcome?  

At other times, at first it may be less obvious when we are strongly affirming the dignity and self-esteem of someone by such warm and kind greetings.  The woman walking down the street, whose presence you acknowledge, and thus encourage to realize her own self-worth, may have been slapped in the face earlier in the day by her husband who habitually abuses her.  I am not speaking of a hypothetical scenario here.  Here in Redwood City I have met a homeless woman who, I have been told by multiple people, is regularly beaten by her boyfriend.  When others greet her respectfully, they are tending to her with a healing salve of gentle kindness applied lovingly to the emotional wounds which have been inflicted on her.  

We do well to consider the wounds borne in our midst.  When Catholics pray the rosary, Catholics meditate at times on Jesus being scourged, or whipped, at the pillar soon before He was crucified.*  Jesus was beaten not only at the pillar.  Jesus has told us that whatever we do to the least of those among us, we do to Him.**  Jesus, present in our neighbor who has been abused, is in the person walking toward us on the street.  When we acknowledge our neighbor, we value the presence of Jesus among us.  When we tend to the wounds of our neighbor, we follow Jesus.  

Jesus explained that we are to attend to others who are suffering along our path.  In the Gospel of Luke, we hear that 

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”  

He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”  

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  

Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.  A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.  Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.  But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.  He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’  Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”  

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” 

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”*** 

In hearing the parable of the Good Samaritan, we think of this parable as conveying a duty to care for our neighbor, not necessarily involving someone literally who has been beaten and is lying by the side of the road.  However, in our lives we come into contact with people who have been abused.  We might pass them without acknowledging their presence, without affirming their dignity and worth, and thus unintentionally contribute to the mistreatment they have been suffering.  Or we can greet them respectfully, giving them support which is much more valuable to them than we realize.  

Do we want to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others, especially when such small offers of warmth and kindness are easily within our power to share with others?  Do you think that you love your neighbors by acknowledging their presence and thus showing them respect?  If so, then go, and do likewise.    

* John 19:1 
** Matthew 25:40 
*** Luke 10:25-37 

Changing Our Minds

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus talks to us about how God values when we actually do what God calls us to do, rather than simply saying that we will do what He asks us to do.  Jesus also points out that there are those among us who we may despise, but who might be getting into Heaven before us if they do God's will while we fail to do so.  

In today's Gospel, we hear that 

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion? 
A man had two sons. 
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 
The man came to the other son and gave the same order. 
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 
Which of the two did his father’s will?” 
They answered, “The first.” 
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you. 
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did. 
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”*    

Here through a parable, Jesus illustrates that what one says, about what one will do or not do, matters less than what one ultimately does.  The first son says he will not go work in the vineyard as the father requests, but later he goes and works there.  He is seen as doing his father's will, despite his initial refusal.  

At first we might speak rebellious words to God; we might say that we are not going to cooperate with Him.  We might say that we are going to do things our own way rather than trust in God.  However, despite initially rejecting God's will, later we can choose to trust in God, obey His commandments, and do His will.  We can decide to love our neighbor by opting to perform loving acts of compassion everyday for those around us.  

In the parable, the second son says he will go work in the vineyard as his father directs him to do, but then does not go work there.  Not going to work, he is seen as not doing his father's will; in merely offering his words of acquiescence, he does not fulfill his duty to his father.  

When we talk about loving our neighbor, but then do nothing to love our neighbor, we do not do God's will.  It is not the shape of the words we speak, but the state of our hearts which define our relationship with God and with our neighbor.  When we truly love, this living love is seen more tellingly in our acts than in our words.  People can tell who true Christians are by witnessing ardent acts of love.  

After the parable, Jesus tells the chief priests and the elders that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before they are.  He was telling those responsible for the moral leadership of the people that those who were much maligned in society were entering God's Kingdom before them.  One is not guaranteed safe passage from one's title or position in life.   Those who are marginalized, seemingly rejected and scorned, may be ahead of us.  Given that they may be further along than us, one could do well to have the humility to realize that one has something to learn from them.  

Who are those who are stigmatized, who are on the fringes, who are the dispossessed today who we push away, yet who might have something to teach us?  Who do we ignore who might be sent into our lives to help us, even though we think they need our help?  

I am reminded of a particular homeless woman who here I'll call "Catherine."  She is a very social, warm, caring, attentive, giving person.  When someone is in trouble, she jumps forward to help that person in need.  

Recently I heard a couple of people talking about Catherine.  The first person shared that Catherine had informed him of something, and the second person said, "She's a meth addict."  The second person said that Catherine is addicted to methamphetamines, insinuating that one could not believe what she said or rely on her.  Yet her friends rely on her to help them to replace their basic property after it has been lost or stolen.  Catherine leaps forward as a Good Samaritan to assist those who have been beaten and left by the side of the road to die.**  She actually acts to help.  One cannot dismiss her as a lost cause simply because she might be a drug addict.  

I am also recalling how someone I know had been reaching out to Catherine over a period of weeks.  This helper had been repeatedly going to Catherine and assisting her in little ways.  Catherine explained to him that he was doing well by consistently trying to help.  She went on to emphasize that someone in need is encouraged by a person who consistently shows up to help.  Catherine, supposedly a drug addict, was counseling, advising and encouraging this person who kept showing up to try to help her.  This apparent drug addict was giving valuable feedback and direction.  Catherine, living on the fringes of society, despised and scorned, was giving thanks, was encouraging her neighbor, and was showing love to the person standing in front of her.  

Drug addicts and homeless people are capable of love.  They might love their neighbor better than others.  We might be able to learn from them.  If we dismiss people, we can't learn from them.  Yet if we welcome someone, if we welcome the stranger in front of us, we are showing that we are willing to listen to that person.  

We show our willingness more through our actions than simply through our words.  It's not what we say, but what we do, that most matters.  Yet it's not just what we do, but with how much love we do it, that matters even more.  Saint Teresa of Calcutta advises us, "In this life we cannot do great things.  We can only do small things with great love."  Saint John of the Cross sagely counsels us, "In the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love."  At the end of our lives, we will be judged on how much, and how fervently, we have loved God and our neighbor.  

To know how to love, I look to Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God.  In our everyday lives, we meet Jesus in our neighbor.  Jesus is present in those who are impoverished; He is in the least among us.***  We have much to learn from our neighbor, especially those who are poor.  When we make their struggles our own, we come to have compassion.  Becoming compassionate, we show the love we would like to receive if we were in their place.  Then with such understanding, we can come to love our neighbor as ourselves.****  Then we can realize that we and our neighbor and God are much closer than we had previously thought, a loving embrace patiently waiting to be accepted.  

* Matthew 21:28-32 
** Luke 10:29-37 
*** Matthew 25:40 
**** Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14  

Investing In Humility

Last Wednesday the Gospel reading for the day was from Luke 19:11-28.  There we hear that 

While people were listening to Jesus speak, 
he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem 
and they thought that the Kingdom of God 
would appear there immediately.  
So he said, 
“A nobleman went off to a distant country 
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.  
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins 
and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’  
His fellow citizens, however, despised him 
and sent a delegation after him to announce, 
‘We do not want this man to be our king.’  
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, 
he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, 
to learn what they had gained by trading.  
The first came forward and said,
‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’
He replied, ‘Well done, good servant!  
You have been faithful in this very small matter; 
take charge of ten cities.’  
Then the second came and reported, 
‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’  
And to this servant too he said, 
‘You, take charge of five cities.’  
Then the other servant came and said,
‘Sir, here is your gold coin;
I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, 
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; 
you take up what you did not lay down
and you harvest what you did not plant.’  
He said to him, 
‘With your own words I shall condemn you, 
you wicked servant.  
You knew I was a demanding man, 
taking up what I did not lay down 
and harvesting what I did not plant; 
why did you not put my money in a bank?  
Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’  
And to those standing by he said, 
‘Take the gold coin from him 
and give it to the servant who has ten.’  
But they said to him, 
‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’  
He replied, ‘I tell you, 
to everyone who has, more will be given, 
but from the one who has not, 
even what he has will be taken away.  
Now as for those enemies of mine 
who did not want me as their king, 
bring them here and slay them before me.’”  

After he had said this, 
he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.*  

In pondering this parable, I have often considered how God calls us to use all of the gifts He has given us for His greater glory.  We are to use the gifts He has given us, our skills, our knowledge, our faith so we may better love Him and our neighbor.  We are to use these gifts He has bestowed upon us to further His Kingdom.  

Soon after I read these Gospel verses last week, they were presented to me further illuminated.  Someone I know who works with poor persons told me about a couple of interactions she had.  Hearing about her interactions, I have come to realize further how humility is valuable spiritual currency which can yield significant spiritual dividends.  

This worker had previously interacted countless times with a homeless woman who here I'll call "Irene."  It appears that Irene has mental health difficulties.  Weeks ago, Irene had defecated on the sidewalk in front of where this worker works; the worker ended up cleaning up the excrement.  A little over a week ago, Irene was yelling loudly out on the sidewalk, also in front of this worker's workplace.  People live, and thus sleep, near this location, so the worker informed Irene that she had to quiet down.  Last Wednesday, this worker told me that Irene had returned and had apologized to her for screaming so loudly so early in the morning.  

As I relate these interactions, I am reminded of how my mentor Larry, who decades ago founded the Redwood City Catholic Worker House, had said perhaps over a month ago that one does well if, in doing this type of work, one is not doing it to be thanked.  A person does well if he or she does it simply because he or she enjoys doing it regardless of whether or not he or she receives gratitude in return.  

You might ask how people can enjoy doing work which challenges them so much.  I am reminded of a story I have heard about the Missionaries of Charity, the religious sisters of the congregation founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta.  

As I have heard the story, the sisters repeatedly went to a building where multiple people lived, in order to serve them.  At that building, when they knocked on a certain door, the occupant would never let them in.  One day when one of the sisters knocked on that particular door, and the dweller slightly opened the door, the sister literally got her foot in the doorway.  Since the resident was unable to close the door, the sister was able to get inside the apartment.  The sister discovered that the person had kept using the toilet even though it had become clogged.  Consequently, not only was the toilet full of excrement, but excrement had spilled over the rim of the toilet, and had further been spread throughout the apartment.  

As the sisters were shoveling excrement into containers so they could remove it from the apartment, the resident asked, "Do you still love me now?"  

A sister replied, "Even more."  

When a person has trouble caring for himself or herself, that person needs more love.  To be able to give that additional love, we need the humility to admit that we need God's help in everything.  We must pray to God to enable us to do everything we do, since we can do nothing without Him.  We need to ask God humbly for what we need so we can give others what they need.  

When we allow ourselves to be humbled, God gives us the grace and the strength to love others when we think we wouldn't be able to love them.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.**  If we consent to become little, we can do great things.  If we agree to stoop down to help those who cannot help themselves, God will raise us up to be able to do the little yet great tasks of helping those who are little.  They are little in the eyes of the world, yet they are precious in the sight of God.  

One who is humble seems powerless in the sight of the world, but is favored by God.  God opposes the proud but accords his favor to the humble.***  By the grace of God, you can become more than you ever could be otherwise.  Through the grace and strength of God, you become more empowered than you ever would be otherwise.  Acting through that grace and strength now, in this lifetime, you will be greatly empowered.  And in the next life you will reap the rewards of the investment of the humility which you accept now.  

* Luke 19:11-28 
** Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14 
*** 1 Peter 5:5