The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
1 All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35). 2 Proper honor must be shown to all, especially to those who share our faith (Gal 6:10) and to pilgrims. 3 Once a guest has been announced, the superior and the brothers are to meet him with all the courtesy of love.
The Rule of St. Benedict -- Chapter 53: The Reception of Guests
This is the Canadian Thanksgiving Day although families have gathered throughout the weekend for shared meals, with millions of turkeys giving their all for the cause. Yesterday my wife Ruth worked her magic with the collaboration of other family meals to create a wonderful meal. It was a delight to watch our two older grandchildren, nine and seven, set and decorate the table. They have a real sense of occasion and the seven-year-old was on a roll when we went around the table to express our gratitude.
Today Ruth will head out the door for a three-hour commitment at the meal program at Bridge St. United Church, the downtown church I served before retirement. When we were doing the dance of bringing family together this weekend there was some suggestion that today, Monday, might be the day but Ruth's dedication is such that she was firm about where she would be. She is one of a remarkable team of volunteers which provides meals every day in this ministry, and she would insist that her part is minor. Of course this network of cooks, servers, dishwashers, requires so much effort and coordination and everyone matters.
The meal ministries at Bridge St. were very active during my time there but the pandemic brought on a "go big or go home" determination with the realization that people who live on the margins of society needed support even more. Rather than shut down, everyone masked up and ramped up, moving to a daily lunch meal of nutritious food. This ministry has served between 100 and 200 lunches every day, including Christmases, since mid-March 2020. Including the many years before the pandemic with Inn from the Cold and Thank God It's Friday more than 100,000 meals have been provided.
Ruth enjoys her co-workers and those who arrive for the meal. She regularly comments on the appreciation expressed by the guests. While some are quirky, to say the least, she is struck by how friendly and grateful so many of them are, and often funny (ha ha, not peculiar.) They have lots of reasons to be bitter, and life has dealt lots of cruel blows, yet they express thanks, often, and genuinely.
On this Thanksgiving Day we can give a thought and a prayer for all those who must seek out meal programs and ministries because our societal structures aren't adequate to meet their basic needs. The Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto maintains that the year ahead could be grim given soaring food costs and the spectre of a recession. Our gratitude can become tangible through generosity and service.
I'm sure the meal program is very much appreciated, but it's more than just about providing food. It also provides connection with others, and in some cases, those occasions may be the only connection that week.
ReplyDeleteOne of the noticeable aspects of my job is the number of people who seem "lost". They may be estranged from family and friends, and their existence can be very lonely.
Yes, Roger, that sense of connection and communion is very much part of what happens. Sadly, the pandemic meant that the sit-down hot meals of Inn from the Cold had to stop and those communal meals were so important.
ReplyDeleteThere IS real gratitude among those who benefit from the meals provided at BSUC... in my 3 hour shifts on Fridays, I have heard it often, as the folk outside make way for me to go in and bake cookies ! Alas, Covid's remnants have necessitated my taking a few weeks off, to regain my energy (random fatigue episodes - I never get a schedule to let me know when it will happen, but 3 hours on the go in the kitchen is not manageable at this time. I am hoping to get back to my shift in November.)
ReplyDeleteI always cringe when I hear someone refer to our guests as "those people" or complain that we are "enabling their bad habits", because they are folks in great need on more than one level, and we cannot, in good faith, turn our backs on them.