Be Well Fed

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Mark 8:27-35

September 15, 2024

It was the usual crowded weekday traffic, and cars were backed up quite a ways. I waited my turn as patiently as I could. In front of me was a large, white pick-up truck. It was obviously a luxury edition with lots of chrome, polish and sleek lines. The driver was conversing with a man standing by the side of the road who was asking for money. The light turned green, but the truck did not move. 

Just about the time I was going to beep my horn to help move him along, I noticed that the driver and the man were holding hands. The man had his head bowed. They were praying. So, I decided to give them an extra minute. I’m sure the cars behind me were wondering why nothing was moving. Finally, the brake lights turned off, and the truck sped away. But as it did, the man stood there with his hand out, expecting to have received something. However, all he received was the prayer this “good man” had offered him.

I was (and still am) incensed. For, you see, on the back of the truck window, was a sticker that identified this driver as a “Pastor.” I am not going to assume anything about his intentions; to do so would be wrong on my part. Nor am I going to make any assumptions about the drivers financial state, although by the look of his big-a** truck, he appears to be doing just fine. I do question why this driver did not offer the man on the side of the road any money. Especially when I hear this weekend’s reading from James.

If any are in need of clothes and have no food to live on, and one of you says to them, “Goodbye and good luck. Stay warm and be well-fed,” without giving them the bare necessities of life, then what good is this? So it is with faith. If good deeds do not go with it, faith is dead. [Ja 2:15-16]

While I assume and hope that the prayer that was offered at that roadside was well intentioned and heartfelt, the bottom line is that the man will not be able to buy anything to eat with a prayer. That pastor failed in his duty to care for God’s children that day. (And if that sounds judgmental on my part, let’s talk.) 

What is required of me, as a follower of Jesus, is to love my neighbor. Jesus was pretty clear about that. And who is my neighbor? Well, that’s a different Gospel story, but (spoiler alert) it’s everybody. But if all I can muster is a smile and a stay warm and be well-fed, then I have not done enough. I have to dig deep and open my wallet to give my neighbor something that will provide some of the bare necessities of life, even if it’s a bit inconvenient to me. What if I open my wallet and only have a ten-dollar bill? Do I think, “woof, that’s a bit much. I better pass on it today.” Let’s be honest, most of us can replace a ten-dollar bill without too much difficulty. But to a needy person, a ten-dollar bill is a jackpot.

I have heard many times as well, that if I give someone money, they are just going to buy alcohol or drugs. To that, I reply, “So what?” It is not for me to judge what another person requires to get through the next day. Yes, I'd prefer that they purchase something nutritious and healthy, but if they don’t, and live to try again tomorrow, what is that to me?

I do not always have the opportunity every day to encounter a person who is looking for assistance. I do know they are there, and I just need to do a better job of looking for them I need to have the eyes of Jesus, so I can see the soul and see the need. 

However, besides individuals, there are countless charities who are always in need of additional support. From homeless shelters, food pantries, teen pregnancy clinics, women and teen shelters, gun safety, suicide prevention…shall I go on? Whatever is an important topic for my conscience, there is a charity who is doing the work that I cannot. I can choose to support the charities I can so that the work gets done.

In today’s Gospel Jesus summoned the crowd and the disciples and said [very clearly], “If you wish to come after me, you must deny your very self,”[Mk 8:34-35]  So then, if good deeds do not go with [faith], faith is dead,[Ja 2:26] I need to be sure that I am not afraid to deny myself, so that I can have a faith that is alive.

Every Day.

© 2024 by Timothy J. Doppel

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