When you saw the hungry and fed them and the naked and clothed them

[Montie_Claunch]

Hallo. The sripture from the Mass (about two weeks ago) has been going throug my mind ever scince hearing it, you know about where Jesus says about when you do to the lest of these (the poor, the hungry, naked ect.) that you did it to him. I fear I am about as shy as it come to interacting with people (in person or on the phone) and can’t really get myself to go do these things as much as I would like too. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks and God bless.

 

[Della]

If you have a hard time interacting with people in crisis, you could always volunteer at an organization that does and do the background things that need to be done, such as helping with mailings or helping prepare food or sorting clothing and that sort of thing. Or you could join an organization dedicated to helping both the Church and community, such as the Knights of Columbus–they have many great programs for helping the disadvantaged.

 

[Flopfoot]

Or even just be more generous with donating money to charity. That is a great help to all who are in need, and even if the hungry people themselves don’t know who donated the money, God will know, and He’ll be pleased about it.

 

[Joysong]

Dear Montie,

The relevant part in the scripture is WHEN you saw Me and did not …

Remember the story about the good samaritan? There were a few people who SAW the person in need, but walked on by. WHEN the good samaritan came upon him, he assisted him according to his means.

I hope you don’t develop a scruple about this, thinking that you have to rush out and find somebody to minister to in order to avoid being among the goats. If God permits you to come upon someone in need and suggests a remedy to your heart, that would be a good opportunity to practice the “corporal” works of mercy.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of “spiritual” works of mercy you can do that may be of more help than you realize. I have an entire family who does not practice their faith, and to nag them with “thou shalts” would only further alienate them. So I do a lot of spiritual praying and offering of masses for their conversion. And not only for them, but many others who come to mind, and whom the Lord gives us as our own spiritual “bundle.”

If you feel inspired to do more for others practically, in the active mode, ask God to show you where your own personal talents may come into play. You may have more than you bargained for, for the harvest is great, but the laborers few!

Kind regards,
Carole

 

[Chinwa]

Anyone who has a loving relationship with Christ–sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit–must be alive to the needs of others, both temporal and spiritual. The underlining principle behind Jesus’ injunction is love. If you do not go out of yourself to love others, then it would be difficult to recognize their genuine needs and help WHEN you do so.

Sometimes, helping others through a middleman can be a way to run away from sacrifices inherent in this act of love. It can make our love to be technical rather than live-giving.

 

[FCEGM]

Montie Claunch:

Hallo. The sripture from the Mass (about two weeks ago) has been going throug my mind ever scince hearing it, you know about where Jesus says about when you do to the lest of these (the poor, the hungry, naked ect.) that you did it to him. I fear I am about as shy as it come to interacting with people (in person or on the phone) and can’t really get myself to go do these things as much as I would like too. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks and God bless.

Montie, something that came to mind when I read you question was reaching-out to the lonely. Do you have a friend or relative or acquaintance who could use just some few words from you to let them know you are thinking of them? A few lines through the mail or e-mail could do wonders - for both of you.

 

[katy]

Our priest made a point about this that I will always remember. He said not to forget we may be called to be “one of the least.” My understanding was that it can be more difficult to be one of the least than one of those called to give the help. This may happen when we are ill, unemployed, disabled, etc. Having been ill and unemployed, I sometimes wondered at that time if maybe I was only a current object to help rather than still a real member of the church. I am so glad he made a point about this in his homily.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Joysong:

Dear Montie,

The relevant part in the scripture is WHEN you saw Me and did not …

Remember the story about the good samaritan? There were a few people who SAW the person in need, but walked on by. WHEN the good samaritan came upon him, he assisted him according to his means.

I hope you don’t develop a scruple about this, thinking that you have to rush out and find somebody to minister to in order to avoid being among the goats. If God permits you to come upon someone in need and suggests a remedy to your heart, that would be a good opportunity to practice the “corporal” works of mercy.

This is a great point! It reminds me of something my SD said. The world tells us we are supposed to be proactive, but really to become in tune with the Holy Spirit we need to be reactive – ready to respond to come what may.

Alan

 

[Eileen_T]

Rest Homes have people who would love visitors, people who have had strokes and can’t talk (or at least not very well). These people are prisioners trapped inside their own bodies.

Perhaps you could read newspaper articles or a book to them. Ask who does not receive many visitors.

I work in a Rest Home and the attached hospital and see so many just set in front of a TV to watch KIDS programmes!

It is so sad when I take a few minutes to talk to them and make a joke about something, and have them try to talk me and get frustrated because the words won’t come out the way they want. Staff just do not have the time.

 

[Penny_Plain]

katy:

Our priest made a point about this that I will always remember. He said not to forget we may be called to be “one of the least.” My understanding was that it can be more difficult to be one of the least than one of those called to give the help. This may happen when we are ill, unemployed, disabled, etc. Having been ill and unemployed, I sometimes wondered at that time if maybe I was only a current object to help rather than still a real member of the church. I am so glad he made a point about this in his homily.

Oh, that’s sooooo good. Ever seen this before?

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg’d with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: “God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.”

Montie, everybody has some talent. What’s yours? What are you good at? What do you like to do? What are your assets?

Maybe you’re dirt poor, but really good at talking to the elderly. Go to an old folks’ home and sit with the lonely ones for a while.

Maybe grown-ups make you nervous but you’re good with kids. Find a children’s hospital in your area and sit with the sick and dying so their parents can get a little rest.

Maybe you are absolutely no good with people but have a dump truck full of money lying around. Give it to somebody, a person or an organization, who can use it for good.

Maybe you have no money, no skills, no talents, and living human beings make you nervous. Find an organization where people do work for shut-ins. You can mow a lawn or shovel a sidewalk or wash a pile of dishes. And if you can’t do any of those things, remember:

They also serve who only stand and wait.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

It just occurred to me that original sin could be seen as an attempt by Adam, rather than to accept his surroundings, to be “pro-active” about changing them.

As the joke goes, “how many ‘real women’ does it take to change a light bulb,” to which the answer is, “none, they accept them as they are.”

Well, once the couple decided they would trump the Holy Spirit and learn to control things themselves, they were chagrined to realize what we were getting into. Once they saw it, there really was no way to go back because only God can forgive sins to the degree of wiping out all temporal and eternal ramifications connected thereto. They tried telling themselves, “jury, please strike that fact about the apple,” but too late, the seed of knowledge had been planted and they never could find themselves innocent. It took a man not descended from Adam in the physical sense but only in the societal sense, to fill in the missing or damaged part of man – his divinity. Thus, the “son of man” fixed what man as a father could not do. He brought eternal life to man whose days were limited by Adam – much like some passage I can’t find says that when a man has a good son, then he can rest in peace knowing his work will be continued in good hands.

Similarly, God tried to rest and just watch His kids play in the garden, but they had to go getting themselves into trouble, peering into areas on knowledge they should not. (Since then this has been a problem for all parents of teenagers.) Who knows – maybe it was on Sabbath and God wanted a break and didn’t get it – maybe that’s why He was so angry.

So rather than just go smite everyone and forget (and thus forgive) the whole of creation, He decided to let the trials (and toils) continue so that man may have self-discovery. Problem is, people only knew one side of the law – that which accuses, convict, and kills in order to bring behavioral control – so He had to send a different kind of son, with an operating system kernal built to resist even the most subtle of temptations. Gosh, some of them, such as the rebuke by Peter, “certainly not, Lord” or whatever it was, were actually considered pro-life by those who didn’t understand the full meaning of prophecy.

Christ got rid of the insanity of a single-minded individual who knows good but not evil. The problem with these people is they dispense evil in the name of good, because they do not know evil. For this reason, Christ said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
**
Every time you forgive a sin you are feeding pure spiritual nourishment to the least of Christ’s brothers – yourself.**

In addition, if the sinner knows of the forgiveness (and accepts it only because they considered you worthy to judge) it can give them encouragement according to the Beatitudes, as God makes evil into joy, peace and comfort. Forgiveness is like a tool we have in God’s factory to build the kingdom.

Alan