“You Get More Than You Give.”

by Frank Lesko, Coordinator of Justice and Peace

“You get more out of it than you give.”

This is one of the most common expressions we hear from ministry leaders and volunteers when they reflect on their outreach work.  People even laugh when they say it, because they know it has become cliché—but that is only because it is so consistently true.

We hear this echoed whether folks are delivering brown bag lunches to low-income seniors in Durham, transporting migrant workers to Mass on Sundays at Our Lady of the Rosary parish or spending a week serving the hungry and homeless in Philadelphia at St. Francis Inn, just to name a few active ministries at this parish.

The readings this week beckon us to look for wisdom in places where society is least likely to look.  David was the unlikely heir to the throne.  In his day, the firstborn symbolized a family’s inheritance.  Having seven older brothers, David was the furthest removed.  David was even left to care for the sheep while his older brothers were invited to an assembly gathered to select the new king.  No one thought that David had any chance at all, yet he was the one selected.  Society invested more in the eldest; God gave the kingdom to the youngest.

The man born blind in today’s Gospel was a beggar and poorly regarded by society.  It was thought that physical illness was a sign of God’s disfavor, so people were wary of him.  Yet, he was able to see Jesus as the Son of Man most clearly.   The religious establishment of the day could not acknowledge that, since Jesus did not come by the parameters their tradition had laid out, despite evidence that something amazing and miraculous had happened.  The man born blind was thrown out for attempting to “teach” the teachers.

God’s Kingdom works differently than our earthly ones.  Scripture and Tradition consistently attest that it is the poor, the eclipsed, the throw-away people who see Jesus first and who lead us to God.  As Paul reminds, “try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”  In light of the other readings today, Paul seems to suggest that what is pleasing to the Lord is not always what pleases society, so it will take some effort on our part to discover this.  We must take the time to look closely and not judge from appearance, as the Lord told Samuel in the first reading.

It is not at all surprising that when we attempt to live out our baptismal call to ministry, that the tables are turned and we find ourselves just as much the receivers as the givers.

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Youth Delegation Returns from St. Francis Inn

A delegation of 8 teens and 2 adults from St. Francis traveled to Philadelphia to minister with the poor and homeless at St. Francis Inn on June 27 to July 1, 2011.    The last youth delegation to visit the Inn was in 2006.   The group of 10 who made the visit this year returned filled with stories and inspiration from the people we met and ministered with.   Overall, the comments from the youth who participated were very positive and they supported recommending the trip to their peers.    

The delegation and staff at the Inn works to meet the immediate daily needs of the people they serve with food, clothing and hospitality.   On the four days of the trip, we prepared and served over 350 evening meals and over 150 morning meals each day to the guests.   A typical day started with breakfast at the house we stayed at next to the Inn, followed by morning Mass offered by one of the resident friars and then on to food pickups, breakfast service and evening meal preparation.    After a light lunch break we would return to the Inn for completing the evening meal preparation, take an afternoon break and then serve the meal from 4:30pm to 6:00pm.   While the days were long, the teens always seemed to have enough energy to enjoy evening trips to Dave & Buster’s, Italian Ice, and the too good to pass up visit for a Philly Cheese Steak.

By interacting with the guests at the Inn and getting to know their personal stories we started to understand them better and the light of Christ emerged.   It enhanced our knowledge that many folks right here in this nation go hungry and are homeless.   It also showed us that by trusting in God and His providence and serving as instruments of His mercy and peace we can address this situation and actually have an impact on people who are in this situation.   One of the youth commented that he was left with a sense of respect for the courage and perseverance for the people who were attending the nearby substance abuse meetings and had been able to quit using drugs and abusing alcohol.     Another youth was given a journal that one of the guests had written about his life and the people he interacted with at the Inn.   We all left with a feeling that we received as much as we gave by ministering with and getting to know the guests at the Inn.

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Volunteering at St. Francis Inn

This article is reprinted with permission from St. Francis Inn, Philadelphia, from their publication “The Pilgrim”

One of the great things about the ministry here at St. Francis Inn is the wonderful people who come through here volunteering their services to help the poor (and poor us—the staff!). One such example is John & Madeline Budway. Originally from Queens, NY, they now live in Raleigh, NC and Florida. They first came to the Inn with a group from our Franciscan parish, St. Francis in Raleigh. Somehow they were taken by this ministry and the spirit here and they felt called to spend more time at the Inn. Recently, they were here for a month.

Both felt comfortable in this neighborhood. Having been raised in NY, they were used to the row houses, the elevated train, the city noises, etc. Because of John’s work, they lived in Brazil for a while. There they were struck by the extreme contrast between the haves and the have-nots: luxury hotel and mansions next to hovels and extreme poverty. Realizing how blessed they were, they felt compelled to do something, to help, and to share their own blessings.

John said, “I like to work out in the yard mingling with the waiting guests. I wear my Navy cap to start conversations with veterans (an unusually large percentage of America’s homeless are vets). I also talk sports with the men and get to know them on a first name basis. We are especially impressed with the young Franciscan Volunteers. To know they have come here before they start theirs careers and see how they direct and manage guests and volunteers, many who are older than their parents is truly inspiring.” Madeline’s favorite part of the day is morning Mass. “It is a fantastic way to start the day. Its peace and calm extend throughout the day. I love it.” She found the staff welcoming, warm, protective of them and kind and patient with the guests. “It is truly amazing how dedicated the staff is,” she adds. “We hope we won’t quickly forget the lessons we’ve learned and we’ve already talked about coming back next year!”

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