Part of the Franciscan ministry is hospitality, not just to the poor but to anyone that appears at the Inn. When we arrived, our house was clean, there were milk, eggs and bread in the kitchen, and we were invited immediately to share in dinner with the FVMers. It is hard not to want to reach out to others when the opportunity comes. For example, today was my prayer day. When Mark and I were told that we would work 5 days, have one free day and one prayer day, the prayer day seemed the most difficult. So I have started slowly. I had hoped to spend 3 hours praying formally and informally, doing some spiritual reading and journaling. About 2 hours into this a knock came on the door, and Karen asked if it would be okay if a former volunteer and his two children could stay the night with us. If this had happened to me two weeks ago, I would have been in a tizzy. But I just said sure, and proceeded to make up 3 beds, get towels and be thankful I cleaned the bathrooms yesterday! The former volunteer was here is 1989 and is now a doctor, and he was bringing his 9 and 11 year old to help with a meal today. What a great way to teach children about compassion to those who are marginalized by society.
On the other hand, there are times when we are not hospitable. Two nights ago we were going up to bed, and a knock came at the door. I told Mark to check to see who it was, and there were 2 strangers outside. Through the door they asked for a blanket or sheet for the night. Of course,we wanted to help them, but nothing here is ours to give and we were told not to do this. We both felt guilty and unkind,but turned our back on them nevertheless. The next day we checked with others, and were told that was the right course, and that there were beds for them down the street. Regardless, there are times when doing the right thing seems like the wrong thing.
Rick says: In travels to large citites such as San Francisco or Denver, I am sometimes approached by homeless people soliciting "spare change." Sometimes the person has a young child (typically dirty) with them. It is hard to say no. Yet many downtowns post signs encouraging residents and visitors to not give change directly to panhandlers. Some offer brightly colored "homeless meters" (old parking meters) in which you can donate funds that are given to shelters and soup kitchens.
ReplyDeleteAre there children that eat meals at your Inn?
We have many families with children who come to the Inn. One of my favorites is Anthony and his mother Frankie. He reminds me of Cade. He is very well behaved and will play with his matchbox car while he waits in line. Frankie helped me load the branches I had cut from the alley into plastic bags for trash.
ReplyDeleteAs to the panhandlers, rather than give money, if it is in your own town, you could give a ziploc bag with a bottle of water, some peanut butter crackers, can of beans with ringpull (no canopener) or other snack. If you are traveling, a coupon to a fastfood restaurant would be appreciated.