One day, 35 minutes after the office closed, as I walked through our front lobby, I noticed a homeless man I know trying to enter our building. After finding a locked door, I could see the look of disappointment in his face and eyes.
It would have been easy to walk away, thinking, ‘the office is closed buddy, come back tomorrow during normal business hours.’ I immediately was reminded that most homeless people don’t have watches and only know roughly what time it is, not to mention the fact that some do not even know what day of the week it is.
By the time I opened the door and called out to him, he was a good way across the parking lot. After getting his attention, I invited him in. He quickly turned around and headed my way.
I noticed he was agitated and disturbed as he related having been freshly assaulted by a much bigger man, who threw all of his clothing and sleeping bag into the dirty waterway. All of his life possessions were lost.
Not finding an adult sleeping bag, I found a beautiful quilt a woman had created and donated. There was nothing else in that moment I could give him to keep warm that night. My first thought was, ‘If I give this quilt to him, it will eventually end up in the ditch or drink. What a waste of a beautiful quilt.’
But after I was thinking such thoughts, God said, “He is My son, whom I created in My image and likeness – this is why I want him to have it!” The man was impressed beyond description that I would give him something so beautiful.
Next, he wanted to enter our chapel, dedicated to St. Joseph, to say a prayer. It was then he told me that every time he prays in this beautiful chapel, he weeps. As we both knelt down, he buried his face into his hands which were made moist by his tears. I reminded him that he was a son of God and only the Lord can help him out of the substance abuse that has led to his homelessness.
After this I gave him some tasty-looking, double-crusted pizza, some plain-Jane pizza and tomato juice. I was moved when he said he would give the double crusted pizza to a fellow homeless person and eat the regular pizza himself. He left acting as though he had won the lottery, an effect mostly because of the grace he received in our chapel and the love he received. Are not our souls meant for love?
As winter is just around the corner, please consider praying for the homeless people to whom we minister, those who live year-round in the streets and under bridges; and donating any warm winter clothing to us, such as sweatshirts, coats, hats, gloves, socks, and boots. If you have any sleeping bags you are not using anymore, please bring them down as well. Be assured we will get them into the hands of those who need them.
And never forget that we at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska will keep you, your family and intentions in our daily prayers and Masses.
