Monday, August 21, 2017
when truth meets reality
St Ephrem the Syrian talks to us about taking care of the poor today in A Year with the Church Fathers. And what he tells us is true, but it needs a little dose of reality to make it good advice.
The truth that Ephrem tells us is that when we take care of the poor, we are taking care of Jesus. When we feed them, we feed Him. When they come into our home, that's Jesus with a roof over His head. This is true.
The reality is that the poor often smell bad. They might steal from you. They might break things. You can't always trust them to do the right thing, or to be grateful that you've helped them. They sometimes demand that you give them something better. Some people say not to help the poor, because like stray animals, they keep coming back. This is part of reality...the poor might have diseases, they might have addictions, and they might not be safe around children. That's reality.
So how do we live between what's true and what's real? If we reach out to help someone, what's to keep them from pulling us down? If we give to someone who asks, what keeps them from taking advantage of us? If we give someone a warm bed, what protects us from being robbed or worse?
The truth is that when you reach out and help someone, you are helping Jesus, and often times, they are very grateful for your help and you feel great after you've done it. The reality is that sometimes when you reach out, you're still helping Jesus, but like Jean Valjean, the human being you help might steal your candlesticks, knock you over the head, and make off into the night. When the officer brings Valjean back to you, as he does back to the priest in the story, what will you do? Condemn him and send him off to prison again? Or forgive him and "purchase his soul" with the cost of candlesticks?
Following Jesus isn't easy. It isn't safe. And sometimes, it isn't fun. Sometimes helping Jesus in the form of the poor means being brave and taking risks. Can we be careful? Sure. We can make wise decisions in how we help. Finding our way between the real and the true doesn't mean throwing reason and caution to the wind and destroying our own lives in the process.
But I think it does mean erring on the side of helping, even when it's hard. Even when we don't feel like it. Even when we're not sure how it will turn out.
After all, no matter how smelly, broken, flea ridden, addicted, or abused the person we're helping is... that's still Jesus.
God, give us wisdom to help You in all Your forms.
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1 comment:
So very true
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