Compassion and Action

I still have not been able to transfer my pictures and I haven't been able to completely settle back to life in Corvallis.  Once I've had time to just sit back, write down all my thoughts about my trip to Peru, and upload all my pictures you will all get to read about my most incredible trip.  As for now...  I still have to unpack my luggage and my thoughts.

I have been reflecting on something someone in my Bible study group mentioned last week.  We were talking about being called to holiness and what it means to be a Christian.  She just said straight out, "It's so hard to be Christian.  I know I'm supposed to give money to help the poor, but I don't know if I'm supposed to give all or just a small portion.  I mean, I worked hard for that money."  The first part of her statement I agree with -- it is hard to be a Christian.  It takes work and it often means being different from the expectations that society has laid before us.  The rest of her statement just makes me so sad.

According to the book Compassion by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, and Douglas Morrison, being compassionate "is not a bending toward the underprivileged from a privileged position; it is not a reaching out from on high to those who are less fortunate below; it is not a gesture of sympathy or pity for those who fail to make it in the upward pull.  On the contrary, compassion means going directly to those people and places where suffering is most acute and building a home there."  Being a Christian is more than the thought that counts -- it's being able to look everyone in the eye and being a true brother and sister to each one we meet.  It's being able to take action towards fulfilling our task of easing the suffering of all those in need.  

Living out our Christian lives will sometimes mean being drawn out of your comfort zones.  There are those who live as missionaries in poor communities throughout the world.  They are in full community with those that they minister to.  I have friends in Argentina who work with the youth and women to feed them spiritually and help them break from the bondage of their struggles.  My friends send updates periodically and these always make me cry because of how happy they are with their work and how they are able to touch the lives of those they encounter.  Todd is in Peru with two other lay missionaries.  Todd works with the youth in his parish.  I am inspired by how he is teaching them and providing them with opportunities that empower the youth to take leadership roles.  Through these roles they are able to lead and gather other youth towards working together in the parish with the hopes of making life in their community stronger and working together towards overcoming their struggles.  Todd's housemates are nurses that work at the hospice (in which Todd volunteers as well) and they reach out to those who are terminally ill.  They provide medical services to people who are unable to afford the care that they need.  Todd visits different homes with the pastoral worker and they provide companionship and prayer for those dying and their families.  This is just a very small sample of what missionaries do around the world.   It is hard, but I'm sure if you talk to each one of them you'll learn of the happiness and fulfillment it brings to their lives.  They don't work from on high -- they are right there in community with the people they serve.

One doesn't have to go very far, though, to be with those in need.  In Corvallis alone, we have several organizations and groups that one can be involved in to live out our call.  There's Stone Soup -- they serve free, hot meals for those who are in need of nourishment.  There's the Daytime Drop In Center where the homeless can stay during the day for a safe, structured day.  At the start of the winter, there's the Men's Winter Shelter where homeless men can spend the night in a warm shelter.  There are services throughout town that provide for emergency financial assistance.  There are organizations that assist with mental health issues, providing for families that have children to ensure that the children stay in school, food banks that provide food boxes, groups that provide clothing for school, and much more.

Let's also keep in mind that being poor doesn't just mean being financially poor.  It also means being in need of a service or support that a person may not be able to provide for themselves.  There's the Jackson Street Youth Shelter in Corvallis that provides shelter for youth who are in need of a safe place to stay.  The youth stay here for a variety of reasons; sometimes it's to get away from unsafe relationships with parents or guardians, sometimes it's just to take a break from parents when they don't see eye-to-eye.  For women who are pregnant or think they may be, there's the Options Pregnancy Resource Center.  Women can seek services such as counseling, pregnancy tests, parenting classes, etc at Options.  Women who are not sure of their next step when they have unwanted or unexpected pregnancies can turn to Options and their counselors will guide them through with the hopes that they opt to carry out their pregnancy.  For those that have been abused, there's the Corvallis Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV).  They help women in abusive relationships to get away from the situation and pick up their lives.  

On a personal note on that one...  I often wondered to myself why I am not more involved with CARDV considering that I came from a physically and verbally abusive relationship.  I realize how fortunate I am that I have a supportive family that helped me through this tough situation. Without their help I know that I would either still be in this abusive relationship, out in the streets (or at least with relatives if I were still in the Philippines), or, to be truly honest about these situations, dead.  Part of me still wonders if I have fully overcome the effects of having been in this relationship.  I noticed not too long ago that there are certain movements that people make at close proximity to me that make me flinch still.  I know that it has affected my relationships with other men (I am sure Todd can attest to this one:) ).  It has just hit me (inside my head -- not physically :) )that one way of overcoming some of the anxieties and fears that still exist would be to be involved with this organization.  

Yes, I tend to go off the topic.  Going back to what I was writing about...  I'm sure that no matter what city or country you live in you will find organizations and services that you can get involved with.  Tending to the poor is more than just handing out money from our comfortable homes.  Living out our faith means being in community and in humble service to those around us.  Everyone I've spoken to who works hard towards being obedient to this call will tell you that it's hard, but they will also follow it up with how happy they are with what they are doing.  Two people that Todd and I stayed with who are both missionaries themselves called themselves crazy because of the life that they have chosen for themselves, but they said it with smiles and are happy for this choice.  Being compassionate and taking action means being different -- what's wrong with that?