Observing a homeless man at mass

[Timothysis]

After Mass and Stations of the Cross last Friday afternoon during the lunch hour, I stuck a bill into my pocket, suddenly having the thought that I should have it ready in case I saw a beggar on the street. As I crossed toward my office, there was a parapalegic man in a wheelchair. He was dirty and toothless and pretty incoherent, but had a sign that said “help a homeless vet.” Everyone was walking right by him. I gave him the bill from my pocket and he said “May God bless you.” I responded, “Thank you, sir, and you as well.”

As I walked away, tears filled my eyes (as they are doing again in the retelling). A man with no home, no job, no legs, and no attractiveness in any way shape or form, had just asked God Almighty to bless ME. It seems then, and now, like the most powerful blessing I have ever received. I am humbled just thinking of it . . .

It can be awfully uncomfortable to be near someone be so out of place as the man at Mass of which the OP spoke. But I suspect it is seldom a coincidence. Blessings come to us when we least expect it . . . and there are “angels unaware” . . . :angel1:

I hate to tell you this but beggars are very quick to have the names of God and Jesus on their lips as a way of appealing to those who may give them something. I’ve seen it many times…how would it make you feel if you discovered that this man used your money to buy beer, cigarettes or even drugs? Last week a woman was standing right in the doorway of the church and said as I approached “Can you help me with my rent? They’re gonna put me out.” Consider that this is at 10 minutes to 8 on a Sunday morning. Who in their right mind would think, “they’re gonna put me out if I don’t pay my rent but I don’t have the money, so I’m gonna go hang out by that church and beg for it” at nearly 8 o’clock on a Sunday morning? People often have a soft spot for those they think are less fortunate but what we don’t understand is that many of these people have no desire to provide for themselves. Simply, honest people don’t beg. If we give to those who use our money to sin, then what good is that?

 

[ready]

I would talk to your Pastor about what happened and ask him what could be done to help the situation.

 

[graceandglory]

St Franicis kissed the leper, because he could see Christ in the man. Are we called to do the same, to look beyond the cloths and the smell and requiring him to act in a “civil mannor” and see the child of God and our brother.

Peace,
FAB

Yes, but should he be receiving the Eucharist? Is he Catholic? Does he even believe?
How loving is it to let someone “eat and drink unworthily?”

For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
1 Cor. 11:29

I’m not saying he isn’t worthy, but we can inform the priest to address the issues of his soul. All we can see are symptoms.

 

[IrishAm]

…how would it make you feel if you discovered that this man used your money to buy beer, cigarettes or even drugs?

Not my problem. What he did with the money is his responsibility; my responsibility – my obligation – was to give alms when the opportunity presented himself and I felt called to do so.

I’m a fairly cynical old city girl – no illusions about most of the beggars around me. And no illusions about what God expects of me either.

 

[whatevergirl]

When Jesus asked us to help the poor, what do we presume poor ‘looks’ like? Clean shaven and always polite? Longterm homeless people are often drug addicts and alcoholics (stats show), that doesn’t mean we dismiss them. This man sounds like he is not ‘all there,’ and it saddens me that so many here judge him based on his conduct and looks. If it were a random person, dressed nicely, walking in and chewing on chips, and drinking coke, and running up to receive Communion, and was just pulling a prank, I would be outraged. But, a homeless man, who sounds completely out of it, I don’t share the same outrage and disdain as some of you, sorry.

I don’t mean to sound…whatever…but, I just think that when Jesus asked us to take care of the poor, he didn’t mean only “our version” of poor.

 

[whatevergirl]

I hate to tell you this but beggars are very quick to have the names of God and Jesus on their lips as a way of appealing to those who may give them something. I’ve seen it many times…how would it make you feel if you discovered that this man used your money to buy beer, cigarettes or even drugs? Last week a woman was standing right in the doorway of the church and said as I approached “Can you help me with my rent? They’re gonna put me out.” Consider that this is at 10 minutes to 8 on a Sunday morning. Who in their right mind would think, “they’re gonna put me out if I don’t pay my rent but I don’t have the money, so I’m gonna go hang out by that church and beg for it” at nearly 8 o’clock on a Sunday morning? People often have a soft spot for those they think are less fortunate but what we don’t understand is that many of these people have no desire to provide for themselves. Simply, honest people don’t beg. If we give to those who use our money to sin, then what good is that?

God does expect for us to discern almsgiving opportunities…some people are just flat out dishonest…but, it is a known fact that about 75% of all longterm homeless people are drug addicts, and alcoholics. That doesn’t stop me from giving them money, if they look really down and out standing on the side of the street, with a sign, asking for food/money. Jesus asks us to give, and then He will do the rest.

If there is dishonesty lurking in any of these people’s hearts, God will deal with them, not for me to judge. If God asks us to give …and we don’t, we will be judged.

 

[Black_Dog]

A few years back I suddenly found myself homeless…lost my job due to ill health and ended up losing my home and living in a tent. Thank God the people I came across were a hell of a lot kinder than some on here. Believe me, anyone can end up homeless…throw alcohol or drugs into the mix and it can become a downward spiral into nowhere.
Me, I always give to homeless people, it’s the Jesus within me meeting with the Jesus within them…as my priest said last week “how we treat other people mirrors how we truly treat God”

 

[onetruechurch]

I received a response from the pastor. I will copy it below:

“Yes, you should have reported that to the ushers before he received communion. That way the priest would give him a blessing but not Communion.
Thanks for the heads up.”

I am satisfied with that response. It showed caring and respect. What a wonderful pastor!

 

[JPUSC]

A few years back I suddenly found myself homeless…lost my job due to ill health and ended up losing my home and living in a tent. Thank God the people I came across were a hell of a lot kinder than some on here. Believe me, anyone can end up homeless…throw alcohol or drugs into the mix and it can become a downward spiral into nowhere.
Me, I always give to homeless people, it’s the Jesus within me meeting with the Jesus within them…as my priest said last week “how we treat other people mirrors how we truly treat God”

:clapping:

When Jesus asked us to help the poor, what do we presume poor ‘looks’ like? Clean shaven and always polite? Longterm homeless people are often drug addicts and alcoholics (stats show), that doesn’t mean we dismiss them. This man sounds like he is not ‘all there,’ and it saddens me that so many here judge him based on his conduct and looks. If it were a random person, dressed nicely, walking in and chewing on chips, and drinking coke, and running up to receive Communion, and was just pulling a prank, I would be outraged. But, a homeless man, who sounds completely out of it, I don’t share the same outrage and disdain as some of you, sorry.

I don’t mean to sound…whatever…but, I just think that when Jesus asked us to take care of the poor, he didn’t mean only “our version” of poor.

:clapping:

 

[JPUSC]

When Jesus asked us to help the poor, what do we presume poor ‘looks’ like? Clean shaven and always polite? Longterm homeless people are often drug addicts and alcoholics (stats show), that doesn’t mean we dismiss them. This man sounds like he is not ‘all there,’ and it saddens me that so many here judge him based on his conduct and looks. If it were a random person, dressed nicely, walking in and chewing on chips, and drinking coke, and running up to receive Communion, and was just pulling a prank, I would be outraged. But, a homeless man, who sounds completely out of it, I don’t share the same outrage and disdain as some of you, sorry.

I don’t mean to sound…whatever…but, I just think that when Jesus asked us to take care of the poor, he didn’t mean only “our version” of poor.

:clapping:

 

[Timothysis]

Not my problem. What he did with the money is his responsibility; my responsibility – my obligation – was to give alms when the opportunity presented himself and I felt called to do so.

It isn’t alms when someone uses money to further their debaucheries. Christ calls up to help the poor, not perpetuate their failings. Of course, it is your money and you are free to do with it as you wish…

 

[Black_Dog]

It isn’t alms when someone uses money to further their debaucheries. Christ calls up to help the poor, not perpetuate their failings. Of course, it is your money and you are free to do with it as you wish…

I assume you do give alms to poor people? I’m just intrigued as to what criteria you use to decide who is deserving and undeserving of your Christian charity.

sorry, there was a hint of sarcasm there

 

[Black_Dog]

I received a response from the pastor. I will copy it below:

“Yes, you should have reported that to the ushers before he received communion. That way the priest would give him a blessing but not Communion.
Thanks for the heads up.”

I am satisfied with that response. It showed caring and respect. What a wonderful pastor!

That is a good and Christian response…thank goodness

 

[Timothysis]

I assume you do give alms to poor people? I’m just intrigued as to what criteria you use to decide who is deserving and undeserving of your Christian charity.

sorry, there was a hint of sarcasm there

I give through Church-approved charities, if you must know.

 

[jkarp]

I received a response from the pastor. I will copy it below:

“Yes, you should have reported that to the ushers before he received communion. That way the priest would give him a blessing but not Communion.
Thanks for the heads up.”

I am satisfied with that response. It showed caring and respect. What a wonderful pastor!

That is a fantastic report; you are lucky to have such a pastor!

Most of the responses to this thread miss the point. The issue at hand is not the homeless person, it is the profaning of the Blessed Sacrament. No one, whether rich, poor, clean, dirty, sick, healthy, et cetera, should be allowed to receive the Blessed Sacrament in an unfit and/or unworthy manner.

 

[jmcrae]

That is exactly why I addressed it the way I did, the man doesn’t have to ask for help does he when it is perfectly obvious by the way the OP described him that he is indeed in need.
We’re not saying that he ought to be allowed to continue to just freely come as he pleases and only drink from the Precious Blood of Christ, which to him may only be seen as wine, however, he does need a place to lay his head at night, proper nutrition and clean clothes and a shower.

All of which can be met, without condoning his rudeness in Church.

Wouldn’t you want those things if you were in his situation?

Certainly. And, having been in that situation myself, and having known others who also were, I can say with certainty that it is not necessary to behave inappropriately in Church in order to find the solution to these difficulties. Indeed, others are much more likely to be helpful if one comes across as polite, gentle, and at least somewhat civilized in one’s manners, than otherwise.

Would you want to have to beg from someone for them or wouldn’t it be good if it were just provided? I know in our area we have homeless shelters and food programs to help those in need, but when you see someone like this in this case, wouldn’t it be good to know the names of the places to tell him he could go to for help?

And again, these can be given to him even if he doesn’t noisily eat his lunch in Church, or help himself in a rude manner to the Eucharist.

Or perhaps be able to give him a few dollars or something other than to just look down on him and think not good things about him?

In this particular instance, I don’t think he is being unduly thought badly of just because of his condition. I think, quite the opposite in fact, because I think that if the OP had omitted the information about him being smelly and appearing to be homeless, that there would, in fact, be a great deal less sympathy for him than what we are seeing right now.

 

[Sarabande]

That is a fantastic report; you are lucky to have such a pastor!

Most of the responses to this thread miss the point. The issue at hand is not the homeless person, it is the profaning of the Blessed Sacrament. No one, whether rich, poor, clean, dirty, sick, healthy, et cetera, should be allowed to receive the Blessed Sacrament in an unfit and/or unworthy manner.

I agree with this. My parish is in a fairly large city which will have homeless people come into the church during mass or during the open hours of the church. They were even there when my husband and I got married and we have a picture of my husband shaking one of their hands as we were processing out, which was a neat photo. We didn’t mind them there. They never caused a problem, had stayed in the very back of the cathedral and actually appeared to be genuinely happy for us.

Most of the time the homeless who do come in for mass do not cause any problems, although they have on occasion through the years try to break in or have caused problems where police actually had to be called in. Rare occasion, though. We’ve even had a mentally insane homeless woman attack a person in the pews once during mass and was carried off by other men in the congregation. Because I am so used to being around homeless people, I don’t look at them as any different than the average person in the pews, except that they may need more assistance with sustenance and more prayers. But it is important to keep anyone from profaning the Blessed Sacrament. The person could be the wealthiest person in the world or the poorest. The pastor’s response was correct and it is how most pastors in cities handle such situations.

 

[jkarp]

I agree with this. My parish is in a fairly large city which will have homeless people come into the church during mass or during the open hours of the church. They were even there when my husband and I got married and we have a picture of my husband shaking one of their hands as we were processing out, which was a neat photo. We didn’t mind them there. They never caused a problem, had stayed in the very back of the cathedral and actually appeared to be genuinely happy for us.

Most of the time the homeless who do come in for mass do not cause any problems, although they have on occasion through the years try to break in or have caused problems where police actually had to be called in. Rare occasion, though. We’ve even had a mentally insane homeless woman attack a person in the pews once during mass and was carried off by other men in the congregation. Because I am so used to being around homeless people, I don’t look at them as any different than the average person in the pews, except that they may need more assistance with sustenance and more prayers. But it is important to keep anyone from profaning the Blessed Sacrament. The person could be the wealthiest person in the world or the poorest. The pastor’s response was correct and it is how most pastors in cities handle such situations.

That is very neat about your wedding. Your husband sounds like a great human being.

Personally, I want as many people as possible to come to Mass, we all need it. At the same time, it is important that we defend the “source and summit of Christian faith.”

 

[scarsacred]

try to read this ebook. some of all people that have a problem change their live and they share a story for the

people who suffer their problem. and im the one of them who read and share the inspirational story.

try to visit the full volume of story and feel free to download:

thankgodforebooks.com/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=0&sobi2Id=2
thankgodforebooks.com/homeless.html

 

[simojt_jeffrey]

Hi,…I’m a newbie of this forum…To this day, I no longer fear risks because I know my Source and Supply. Some may call my life experience positive, others may choose to call it negative. Regardless of the label, however, all I can say is, Thank God I was homeless.

www.thankgodforebooks.com/homeless.html