Dear Heavenly Father~
Just before I came here Father, I had lunch at the Social Service center of this church. I wonder how you feel that I am the only one of the two hundred homeless people who came to thank you for the food, the volunteers, the staff and this church for their valiant effort on feeding the homeless? It saddens mine.
My brothers and sisters complained that Mass took up their entire lunch hour so the church cut the mass from one hour to less than thirty minutes. There are some saints that I have read about who fasted for years with the exception of sharing communion with their brothers and sisters during the Eucharist. These saints were filled with Joy, prayed continually and gave thanks for "giving them their daily bread" just like you fed manna to the Hebrew slaves who were led out of slavery by Moses. Today there were more people who showed up late than those who were early or on time. Some members of the church came in just in time for the Eucharist and then left. I wondered if they prayed, "Dear God, Hate to eat and run!" How does that make you feel?
I am unable to get this picture out of my mind. Probably because I had to walk around him as he is sleeping in front of The Church of the Blessed Sacrament behind the bench at the bus stop after I left mass again today. Father, I do not need to tell you as you saw me counting the 310 pews that are in this church. Today we used 10 pews but the 25 of my brothers and sisters at mass could have fit in four pews if we sat next to one another. I had an entire pew for myself. This church will ONLY be open for one hour today. There are 23 hours of the day that over 300 homeless people would be able to rest and sleep in the House of the Lord.
If You do not want the homeless in your house, what is the solution for the homeless situation. Lord, I know that in Proverbs you tell me to not lean on my own understanding. I will be honest with you God! I do NOT understand. PLEASE I IMPLORE YOU to help me understand.
The United States government is $62 trillion dollars in debt. Obviously, our elected officials do not know how to balance a budget. How can we expect them to help the homeless? The people who run your churches have locked the doors to the Church, to Your House! Are they the ones locking the doors or have you locked the doors? Is the solution to the homeless suppose to be that my brothers and sisters allow them to live in their houses?
Lord, Jesus told us that he would be coming back soon! It ONLY took you six days to create the world that we live in, why has it taken Jesus two thousand years to come back? Jesus said that He is preparing a place for us. How am I too convince the homeless, the drug and alcohol addicts, the mentally ill, the disabled, and the forgotten that you love them when they are locked out of your house here. "A mansion in the sky" makes me sound more of a lunatic then they are.
Honestly, most of the street people believe that Jesus is sitting on the right hand of You, the Father and have completely forgotten about us. Otherwise, they do not believe YOU exist at all. Sometimes the latter thought is much easier for the palate. Simply "A God who lives way up there just doesn't seem to care..."
As for me, I will continue to try to trust you. My JOY level has been much better lately. I am talking to you more often. And I thank YOU for all the lessons that you are teaching me while I am homeless and jobless. Look at that picture once more, he is branded on my heart. My mission and purpose in life has become to find this child of yours a home.
Please feel free to write back in the comment section of this blog!
Just know one thng - I love you!
Your prodical son,
John Thomas
JT, you know I am a cynical person.
ReplyDeleteThe reason they cannot leave the Church doors unlocked is there would be continual theft and vandalism.
I know how (some) homeless people are (I was one).
It may be a while before I can send anything, as I am counting pennies.
I still wish you had decided to stay in Illinois.
Dear MP~
ReplyDeleteI believe you will always be cynical. It makes you happy to be negative.
I am homeless and I would not steal or vandalize the Church and I do not believe most other homeless would either. There are PADS programs all across the country and the church has rules which the volunteers strictly enforce. The church I go to can hold thousands of people. Today at mass there were less than thirty people. The church was open only one hour today. There are 23 hours left that this man could have slept in the House of God.
Please keep your money. Just send me the $5.00 you borrowed from me the last time I saw you.
Please hear me loud and clear! I would rather be homeless and jobless in California than work at that job that I hated in a state that made me miserable. I have never been happier than I am now. In California, I am near the ocean, close to God,and I found my mission and purpose in life! I doubt if you will ever be happy for me! It is your nature.
However, I have learned to love you just the way you are!