Listen to this story:
By Marc-André Veselovsky, SJ
“I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.”Matthew 25: 34-36
“Love is shown more in deeds than in words,” said St. Ignatius of Loyola almost 500 years ago. As I sit with these words today, Jesus, I realize how they encapsulate your difficult yet simple message.
What makes it difficult? Well, I want to spend my time as I see fit. I want to help those who I think need help. I mean, if I can. I do not want to help those whose political opinions are different from mine. I do not want to help people who, in my eyes, deserve their own sad situation. I do not want to help people who make me feel uncomfortable.
And there are just so many people I cannot relate to! Now you are saying that I need to welcome strangers? People I don’t not know? Who might not speak my language? Who might not have anything in common with me? I have a hard enough time welcoming the people I do know!
“I need your help, Jesus. I can’t do this on my own. Help me to love, one moment at a time.”
And spending time! I have no time. How am I supposed to visit people in prison? How am I supposed to take care of the sick? I have so many other things I need to do first. My job, my school, my friends, my hobbies. You know, everything I think is important.
So, Jesus, are you saying that I cannot choose how to spend my time? Are you saying I cannot choose the people I think I should help?
This all sounds hard. Like, if I actually do what Jesus is saying, I will have to change my life.
What makes it simple? I guess I do not need a Ph.D. to understand that helping those in need is somehow good. I mean, if I were hungry, I would definitely like it if people gave me some food. Same goes if I were thirsty. What happens when I see people who are hungry and thirsty? I normally just walk by them, pretending I don’t see them, so I don’t feel like I have to help them.
If I had nothing to wear, I think I would really like someone to bring me clothing. I know what it feels like to be cold outside. When I see people out in the cold, maybe I should stop to ask if I can help them with anything.
When I think about having been a stranger myself — maybe when I started a new job, moved to a new neighbourhood, or even walked into a room where I didn’t know anyone — I remember how much a welcoming smile or helping hand meant. That moment when someone noticed me, included me, made me feel like I belonged. Why is it so hard for me to do the same for others?
Taking care of those who are suffering — whether physically, mentally, or emotionally — feels overwhelming. Where would I even start? My schedule is already packed. Yet when I was going through difficult times, didn’t others make time for me? Maybe I could begin small — a phone call to someone who’s struggling, a visit to a lonely neighbour, a moment of genuine presence with someone who’s hurting.
“Perhaps I’m not called to solve every problem, but to simply start with one small act of compassion, one moment of seeing the dignity in another person.”
And those on the margins of society — in shelters, in prisons, on the streets — I tell myself that their situations are too complex, too far removed from my world. But aren’t they human beings just like me? Perhaps I’m not called to solve every problem, but to simply start with one small act of compassion, one moment of seeing the dignity in another person.
So Jesus, you’re are saying that if I do these things to the least of the human family, I am doing them to you? Should that make me feel more special? What’s in it for me? I guess it helps me to fall in love with you.
I need your help, Jesus. I can’t do this on my own. Help me to love, one moment at a time. Help me to receive help from others, so that I’m not in this alone. I cannot do great actions on my own. But with you and with my brothers and sisters, we can do small actions with great love.
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