"See the Person, See Christ" by Fr. Chris House
Some years back, I met up with a friend of mine in London who was there presenting at a workshop. One evening, during dinner, sitting at a sidewalk table outside of a restaurant, there was a gentleman who appeared to be possibly homeless as well as suffering from some psychological challenges.
See the Person, See Christ
Some years back, I met up with a friend of mine in London who was there presenting at a workshop. One evening, during dinner, sitting at a sidewalk table outside of a restaurant, there was a gentleman who appeared to be possibly homeless as well as suffering from some psychological challenges. He was sitting down on the sidewalk about five or six feet from our table, talking to himself and smoking, but not causing any disturbance, at least not for me. My friend said we should move tables and I responded by asking him “what if that man is Jesus Christ?” This is one of those friends who didn’t say anything to me but shot me a look that clearly said “don’t try to play that card with me.” I smiled and laughed, and we stayed at our table and the gentleman moved on a few minutes later.
My reply to my friend was not a judgement of him. Honestly, I said what I did for my own benefit as much as for his (if not to jab at him too). That man on the sidewalk was not someone to be avoided; he was as much a son of God as I am or anyone else is. That man, made in the image and likeness of God like all of us, has remained in my mind ever since that evening. As Christians, we need to be conscious of separating problems from persons, because people should never be seen as problems. Behaviors may be problematic, physical, mental, emotional conditions may be problematic, attitudes may be problematic, but a person and their existence is never problematic. This confusion can be found at the root of the evil of abortion, that too many times pregnancy is seen only as a condition or a problem or a situation, rather than a woman who is carrying an unborn child where one or both may be facing issues, challenges, or difficulties.
The personhood of those around us cannot be ignored. We must always strive to see it first and foremost. To achieve this, we must see Jesus Christ in those around us; if we see Christ in another, we will not lose sight of their humanity, even if they themselves aren’t doing much to put it on display. We see this necessity because of the condemnation that we hear in the Book of Amos in the first reading this weekend. The condemnation is given by the prophet to those who have chosen to ignore the humanity of their brothers and sisters for the sake of their own comfort and gain, and, regarding this sin, the Word tells us that the Lord will not forget it (Amos 8: 4-7).
As disciples, we must work to make our ability to see Christ in others second nature to us. We must do this because we want to be among those at the Last Judgment who say “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Mt 25: 38-40).” Those who are called the righteous by the Lord in this moment are those who saw in front of them a person with a problem, not the person as a problem.
Sunday Collections
Hopefully over the past few years since I’ve been pastor here at CTK, you’ve noticed that I do not like to talk about money. When I do talk about it, I do so because it’s necessary. Next month I will address the parish concerning stewardship but I need to bring up the subject of parish support now because, since July 1, we have begun to run a serious budget deficit of already over $30,000 in weekly offerings. One explanation could be that, since switching to our new on-line giving platform in July, some have fallen off of on-line giving without realizing it. If you give on-line, and did not complete a new registration in June, you may not be making an offertory gift to the parish. Another explanation could be that the parish itself is now feeling the sting of rising costs, etc., in the way of diminished donations because of challenges that individual parishioners are facing. If this trend continues, I will need to approach the finance council to look at cuts that will need to be made across the parish, including our school. I bring this up simply to keep everyone informed. I thank you for your generosity to the parish.
Blue Mass for First Responders
The “Blue Mass” is one that is celebrated in dioceses for First Responders, asking God to protect them in their service to the community. It is usually done so in proximity to the Feast of the Archangels on September 29th. Last year Bishop Paprocki celebrated our diocese’s first Blue Mass. This year’s Blue Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 27th at 9:30AM at the Cathedral here in Springfield; all are welcome to attend to show prayerful support for our First Responders.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House
