Getting Personal

What do you do with what you have?  Do you share?

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." - Luke 3:10-11

In today's Gospel, John the Baptist is telling the crowd that the Lord is coming and they need to make their path straight.  When asked specifically what they should do, he tells them to share what they have with those who need.

It is a simple act that any and perhaps all of us can do.

It is one thing though, to offer what you aren't using or don't need.  It is quite another to share what you are eating or wearing.

I saw a video recently where a guy offers the shirt off his back to a man on the subway who has no shirt.  Most likely he has other shirts at home, so the inconvenience of traveling a short distance in just his undershirt was one he felt he could bear.

But who would do what he did?

I probably would have given the man money and felt good about it, but he would still have been without a shirt.

There is something special that happens when I share my sandwich or offer you my coat.  It is far more personal than to give you money.

The guy on the train took the time to get personal and that meant everything for the man who needed a shirt.

This Fall, we are going to help people get personal with those in need.  Instead of collecting clothes and have people rummage through them looking for what they need, we are going to ask people to tell us what they need for themselves and their families.  Then we will go out to donors to look for a match.

That way, everyone who gives will know why and how their gift will help, and if they choose to volunteer to distribute the clothing, they will experience the joy of getting personal first hand.

I believe that is what God wants.

We have made the process of giving so impersonal that we gain little joy from it.  It is a check-writing event.  While we need those checks to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, we don't want to miss out on making a real connection with our brothers and sisters in need.

Getting personal takes giving to the level Jesus intended when he told the rich man to give all his possessions to the poor.  When I get to know the one who wears my coat, we become brothers.

So, this Fall as you rummage through your closet and find those coats and jackets and sweaters you like but don't wear too often, think about getting personal with someone whose winter will be a whole lot more bearable because of you.

Let me know what you have and what sizes, and we will make the connection for you.  Then you can come down to volunteer in our soup kitchen to visit your brothers and sisters and share a meal.

There is nothing more rewarding than to make a friend and be a friend.

See you soon.

More to come...


Caritas of Port Chester is located at 19 Smith Street, Suite 1 Port Chester, NY 10573 (at St. Peter's Episcopal Church)