WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY SAID:
(MT 25:35)
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
WHAT JESUS DID NOT SAY:
For when I was hungry you gave me food stamps, I was thirsty and you sent me to commodities to get powdered milk, a stranger and you greeted me at the beginning of Mass and never looked at me again, naked and you sent me to Goodwill and Salvation Army, ill and you sent me to hospice to kill me by deciding I didn't need to eat or drink anymore, in prison, and you wrote me off as unredeemable.
As a girl who grew up on welfare, and given that the government is all about making people dependent upon them, well...there ya go.
Jesus asks us to be personal in our assistance to the poor. I have to ask some people if they're afraid they'll break a nail if they get personal?
No wonder people never get off welfare; they system creates dependence, it creates a society that doesn't want to be bothered with the problem of the poor, and a society that would rather build statiums for uber-rich athletes and make sure the homeless shelter across the street from the planned project gets moved so that no one will have to suffer guilt for what they're NOT doing to help.
Thank God people in our lives DID get personal, got involved, and didn't make us feel like dirtbags just because we didn't have much. Some people did, certainly. But the people who mattered were the ones who weren't afraid that poverty was "catching".
And that's all I have to say about that.
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6 comments:
Thank you for getting personal. That was a powerful reminder that the poor are real people in need of personal contact.
(Although, being of somewhat diminished means myself, I see no problem in referring people to the Salvation Army and Goodwill. I'm a valued customer. I wouldn't send anyone to a place that I wouldn't patronize myself. I'm wearing some choice specimens right now!)
Don't get me started about government cheese.
Ellen ~ Yeah, I have no problem with Salvation Army or Goodwill either, and I know a lot of people who go there. I will likely be making my own trip there soon.
You exactly got the point of why I included them, though. :-)
And the cheese...oh yeah, in college we used to make fun of "Gub'ment cheese!"
Maybe I should do a post on that...guaranteed there will be responses, a LOT of people grew up on the stuff, and in these times...I think they're eating the same exact cheese...
"And that's all I have to say about that."
I do believe that is one of my favourite lines from the film Forest Gump.
Most times it isn't how much is said, but the content of that which is said that is important. You said it.
Thank goodness for thrift shops. As a Navy family, the children had clothes and shoes and toys they would never have had otherwise. Still, my favorite place to shop. Second hand/thrift stores, I love 'em. One I know of gives all the proceeds to the children's wing at the hospital.
You've won an award :)
http://acatholicview.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-friend-laura-granted-me-this-award.html
Poverty is catching in a way. For the sake of going along with the crowd you can end up making the same bad choices they did.
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