..the poor will be with you always.......
I am, of course, taking this section of a saying of Jesus out of context...... and with good reason.
During the summer months, when we are away vacationing here or there, when we are not necessarily attending our own parish church regularly and most of the programs that are run by or through the church are suspended temporarily, it is important to remember.....'the poor will be with you always'.
We may have the inclination, time and money to visit the Grand Canyon, Martha's Vineyard or Disney World. The poor - those who depend on the generosity of others through food pantries and feeding programs - do not have that luxury. Despite their food stamps and jobs they can find to do, there more often than not is more month left over at the end of their money.
If your parish, village or county has a food program, remember them during the summer months. Call up a pantry or a feeding program to see if they need supplies or food stuffs: cleaning supplies, diapers, paper products, salt and pepper, mustard, ketchup, tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly, franks and beans - what ever you can get together. Think about dropping them off in person or - perhaps in the cooler part of a sultry Saturday afternoon - after the pool or the park or the BBQ, see if someone can use your extras or whether you can form an assembly line with some neighbors to make some sandwiches and get some bottled water from a local 'warehouse' store to deliver to the soup kitchen or consider volunteering after the early service by handing out food or busing tables or cleaning up afterward.
The vitality of our prayerlife will show through in these acts of mercy to people with fewer choices and far fewer luxuries.
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For that matter, your parish may continue to participate through the summer months not only in contributions toward soup kitchens and pantries, but - like any household - the bills for lights, phone, electricity, regular or supply clergy keep rolling on in. Consider sending in your pledge for the summer months early or just make a little extra donation to the church to keep the books in the black!.
During the summer months, when we are away vacationing here or there, when we are not necessarily attending our own parish church regularly and most of the programs that are run by or through the church are suspended temporarily, it is important to remember.....'the poor will be with you always'.
We may have the inclination, time and money to visit the Grand Canyon, Martha's Vineyard or Disney World. The poor - those who depend on the generosity of others through food pantries and feeding programs - do not have that luxury. Despite their food stamps and jobs they can find to do, there more often than not is more month left over at the end of their money.
If your parish, village or county has a food program, remember them during the summer months. Call up a pantry or a feeding program to see if they need supplies or food stuffs: cleaning supplies, diapers, paper products, salt and pepper, mustard, ketchup, tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly, franks and beans - what ever you can get together. Think about dropping them off in person or - perhaps in the cooler part of a sultry Saturday afternoon - after the pool or the park or the BBQ, see if someone can use your extras or whether you can form an assembly line with some neighbors to make some sandwiches and get some bottled water from a local 'warehouse' store to deliver to the soup kitchen or consider volunteering after the early service by handing out food or busing tables or cleaning up afterward.
The vitality of our prayerlife will show through in these acts of mercy to people with fewer choices and far fewer luxuries.
----------------------------------------
For that matter, your parish may continue to participate through the summer months not only in contributions toward soup kitchens and pantries, but - like any household - the bills for lights, phone, electricity, regular or supply clergy keep rolling on in. Consider sending in your pledge for the summer months early or just make a little extra donation to the church to keep the books in the black!.
posted by Joanna Depue | 2:15 AM
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