Helping Jesus

I was taught a lesson in gratitude recently when one of the men who comes to the kitchen was riding with me on the way back from the warehouse. He remarked: “I am so fortunate. I don’t have electricity or water right now, but I’ll get that on. But, I am well; I’m up and walking. I have so much to be thankful for.” He went on to say that a neighbor had been put out of her home, and he said that he offered to take her in. “I don’t have utilities, but at least you don’t have to sleep outside,” he told her. He took her in to share the little he had with someone who had nothing. This reminds me of Jesus’ statement that the foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head. Maybe Jesus did this on purpose so that when we feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are cold and shelter those who are homeless, it really is Jesus we are helping. This time, I felt like the one who was hungry, cold and homeless being helped by this man who expressed how rich and fortunate—and grateful he was. How good God is—all the time.

Author: Br. Bob Malloy
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Pastoral Director