A few years later, I went to college. Marquette isn't located in the worst neighborhood in the world, but it certainly isn't the height of all that is good and clean either. (Jeffrey Dahmer lived mere blocks off campus). It had its share of homeless and mentally unstable, with a halfway house on the campus grounds and a men's shelter technically "off campus", but in reality, right in the heart of student living. I never gave any of them money, because it was too dangerous. And after all, how could you ever know who was doing it as their job and making mad cash? Better to not give to anyone.
But then one day, while in a required and much dreaded, theology class, my professor (also a priest) was talking about his thoughts on beggars. He said that he gives to every beggar who asks, because that's what Jesus did. And when someone asked what about what he does about those who are frauds, he answered that it would be Jesus who judged them for it, not him. If someone feels he needs to ask, then someone deserves to be answered.
That one single moment in time sticks in my memory so vividly, I can still hear the clacking of someone's heels down the Wehr Life Sciences Building hallway as he spoke. Because that one moment formed a foundation for my adult thoughts and feelings about spirituality and religion. It finally all made sense.
So now I try to give. I'm often walking alone, and have not gotten entirely stupid; I know many are homeless because they are mentally ill. Which is why I try to keep a single or three in my pocket; so I don't have to dig into my purse. And if I don't have any in my pocket, I continue to move on.
But when I can give, I do. And now, I can't imagine thinking about it any other way.
4 comments:
I have pix similar to that. It was taken in Montreal.
The guy was begging but his dog was the main show.
The dog had a hat and sun glasses.
I will put it on Wilsons site of my blog."The daily wilsonian."
Growing up in Sussex I rarely ran into a beggar or homeless person, other than the one old man that my mom picked up in the middle of winter who was walking south (it was probably 1983-84). She brought him home for dinner, loaded him up with food, gave him a coat and a little cash. He refused a ride somewhere when my dad offered. Anyhow, once I moved to the east side and went to UWM I started to recognize the regular homeless people around the campus. I used to carry clean tube socks in my backpack because I figured that if I were homeless, I'd welcome a pair of clean socks. My roommate thought I was crazy.
Who was your theology prof? A very close family friend is prof there, Father Bill Kurz, he was kind enough to marry Peter and I at Gesu.
I see we were both talking about homeless. You were more charitable!
Are you in California right now?
That priest had a great way of looking at it. I like it!
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