A not-so-unusual day with the people God prefers

I just finished reading Dilexi Te (“I have loved you”).  It is Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural exhortation.  He thoughtfully and beautifully emphasized the Church’s urgent need to engage the poor and marginalized. In various ways, he repeats longstanding Christian teaching, “God shows a preference for the poor.”  (21)  I thought I would share how I spent a day last week with God’s preferential ‘favorites.’   

Wednesday, I volunteered at Strong Life, a rescue mission for the homeless – in my mind the poorest of the poor.  As a day shelter, it offers a food pantry, provides clothing and camping supplies, has a place to take a hot shower, and has machines to wash clothes.  A free, hot lunch is available to anyone.  Strong Life also offers case management to help a person take that next positive step, whatever that may be. 

I started my day by warming up the 14-passenger van.  My first task is to pick up the homeless from the overnight shelter.  In Hickory, the overnight shelter vacates all residents each morning.  As an alternative to milling about on the streets and braving the weather, Strong Life provides a day shelter, highly valued when the temperature drops.  On this day, it was windy, rainy, and cold, so there were a few more than previous Fall days. 

Once everyone is assembled in the main meeting room, those from the van-loads and those from the streets, there’s a devotional.  After the devotion, several people usually line up to talk to me.  As I listen to their story, I try to listen to the Lord and ask, “Why, Lord, have you put this person in my path?”

One man just became homeless.  Two months ago, he moved in from another state to live with two ‘friends’.  Unbeknownst to him, the friends weren’t paying rent and were evicted.  Without notice, they abandoned this man and left for California.  He was now in an unfamiliar location, had little money, and no place to live.  I asked, “What’s been the hardest for you?”  He said he’s all alone, and started to cry.  I cried with him.   He asked if he could get into the overnight shelter.  I told him, unfortunately, there’s a waiting list.  I offered food and clothing.  We prayed.

Three others needed to move to a city with shelter capacity to escape the cold.  Sleeping in the store-front doorways and camping in the woods is becoming increasingly unpleasant.  Strong Life had some emergency funds and bought two a bus ticket, and another a full tank of gas. 

As the day unfolded, I addressed other needs.  A woman who was sleeping in the woods needed a ride to the doctor’s office to prep for surgery. Another needed help filling prescriptions.  One was distressed because a doctor just called him and said he had cancer.  Two people needed help replacing their lost Social Security cards to get a job. With the government shutdown, they’ll need to go without for now. 

Another wanted to share with me what he’s learned about his addiction.  “There are choices and mistakes.  A mistake is when you accidentally make a wrong turn.  A choice is when you decide to go down the wrong road.”  We prayed that he would make good choices.

After talking with a few others, the overnight shelter was soon to reopen.  I shuttled those who had a bed for the night back to the shelter. 

Pope Leo said, “Only on the basis of real and sincere closeness can we properly accompany the poor on their path of liberation.”  (101)  I certainly felt a real and sincere closeness that day.

Interested in spending some time with some of God’s favorites?  Here are some ideas:  Volunteer at a food pantry.  Have lunch at your local soup kitchen.  Or simply be attentive to the neglected and marginalized person God places in your path.  “Let [yourself] be evangelized by the poor and acknowledge the mysterious wisdom which God wished to share with [you] through them.”   (102)