A Peaceful Environment

Today at prayer, we were sharing thoughts about Martin Luther King, Jr. with a backdrop of Isaiah, Chapter 58. The focus was on the promotion of acceptance and mutual respect in the context of human diversity. One of the men in the group of about a dozen said that he has been in places where he felt tension in the air and felt at risk just being there. He went on to say that when you bring peace to an environment, then there is a relaxed sense of security and wellbeing. That is what he experiences when he comes to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. This is exactly what we hope for in our soup kitchen sites. It did my heart good to hear a guest put it in those words. I believe that when staff, volunteers and guards project a peaceful sense, it is picked up by the guests, and they in turn project it to one another. Sometimes, it begins with some of the guests themselves who project it to staff, volunteers and one another. It goes both ways, and the results are tangible. Peace does not come out of nowhere; it proceeds from within the human person.

 

Author: Br. Bob Malloy
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Pastoral Director