Today, we packed off our seventh. We’ve done this before, but now it feels closer to the close, when we won’t be doing this. This child was always one of the “youngers” or “littles” as we called them. Putting all her things away, we wanted to fill the room, to take away all the struggles we could.
There were some struggles we could not evade, like the hard reality of living in a city where the struggling walk the streets at all hours. Their pain is etched in every fold, in all the lines drawn on their weathered faces. Some cry out. Others pull against the dark corners of stairs and in allies. We worry. Her place is bright and light and full of promise. So are all the students about her, filling their rooms with trinkets that represent their past and aspirations for their future.
The “why” for each person we encountered, has to do with belonging, or not feeling it, with knowing they have talents to offer the world, or not. I’d spent the morning in professional developmentc. The keynote speaker challenged us to make our classrooms places of joy and pockets of hope, while challenging our students with academic rigor beyond what they’ve faced in recent years.
Was it possible to create places of joy for these people we saw lost on the streets, pockets of hope? If so, how? There was so much need visible. The man who spoke to us, talked about being up for eighteen hours and being strung out. I’d be strung out too. We walked away faster because it was late and we honestly felt nervous. But we talked about the man and I sat there wondering as we finished up our meal before leaving her at college, what was the right way to respond to this person, that provided kindness without risking our safety?
And that was a both and that was not possible. I knew, all love involves risk.
In the workshops, we started to reflect on what we hope for these students –perhaps what is really needed, is for each school, each parish, each family, each city, each county, each state, and our whole country to reflect on what we really want our country to be. What does a beautiful America look like? How do we define a society as good, unless we committ to the good? What does that mean for each of us?
As usual, when I run into questions I don’t have an answer for, I look to the daily scripture, in hopes the Holy Spirit will speak to me. Here was today’s gospel:
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19,16-22.
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, ” ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.Building treasure in heaven comes in the day to day giving of one’s self to others. In addition to charity, to gifting what we can, giving alms, and surrendering luxuries in the form of a fast, we grow heavenly wealth through prayer, through service, through accompaniment, and presence. Selling what one has is about surrendering the comfort of safety, of not encountering the other we did not plan to meet. Love involves risk. All love involves risk –talking to the stranger. Encountering the other. All love involves selling all you have and following.
With that reminder to my own heart, I hope Christ will use these moments that are part of living away from home, to show her how she can touch hearts and change lives, building up treasure in heaven, and helping others discover their lives are full of light, hope and promise. I hope she is safe, but I also hope, she discovers how God wants her to sell everything and follow Him.
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