Yes or No?

We need rules and laws. Society would be chaos without them. Even at a place like St. Francis Inn there are rules: meals are served only at specific times, the office is open on a fixed schedule, and so on. If a homeless person has a need outside of these times, we are not supposed to respond. Why? Because if there were no office hours, there would be a constant barrage of requests 24/7, and the institution would collapse. As it is, the Inn serves meals seven days per week and there are office hours every day of the year when we deal with all sorts of needs.

I (Mark)understand this -- I am basically a legalistic, rule-following person, EXCEPT when presented with the face of a person in need. Then, it is tough. For example, last week, I was walking near the St. Francis Inn when I was approached by a man asking for money. I always lean toward saying "yes and casting my bread on the water", and a quick look at the guy's cloths and demeanor seemed to indicate that he was really in need. But the Inn's rule is that you never give money to the homeless because it is often used to buy drugs or alcohol. So, I said "No", feeling guilty.

Several days later, Thea and I were in the Inn at 3 PM getting organized for the evening pick ups. The doorbell rang, but since it was outside of normal office hours, we didn't answer. A few minutes later, we had finished our tasks and left the to go to our house, next door. Two young men were standing outside, obviously the people who had rung the bell. They said that they were hungry, having walked several miles to the Inn, but had missed the meal. Was there any way that they could get something -- anything -- to eat. While I was still deciding on how to respond, Thea said " Sure!". And, instantly, my own reluctance vanished: why shouldn't we respond? We both knew that the next meal the Inn would be serving would not be until Monday afternoon @ 4:30 -- more than 24 hours in the future.

Quickly, Thea and I went back inside and in a few minutes had made a couple of roast beef sandwiches, assembled some packaged bread, desserts, and drink. We placed the whole thing in a plastic bag, tossed in a couple pieces of fruit and presented the meal to the two guys. Their thanks was genuine, eye to eye, heart to heart. I felt really blessed by the spirit of Christ in the response.

Reflecting on this issue today, I realize that rules are still necessary but that we must apply them in a spirit of love and compassion. There are many times when a "no" really is the best answer, but there are also times when the rules must be bent. Each instance and request is unique and must be evaluated given the situation.

I see all of the staff and volunteers at the St. Francis Inn, even the longtimers who have been here 20 and 30 years, struggling to keep a balance between "yes" & "no", using as their guide the example of Jesus and St. Frances. It is not such an easy thing to do, but I know that if we truly have the best interests of our clients at heart, Christ can work through each of us.