“My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.”
There are so many times in life when I question why my life is the way that it is? I do good in this world but yet I still struggle. I pray for healing and for sustainability but yet what comes to me is imbalance and pain. Why me? I trust and believe in God… you said ask and it will be given to you! So why?
This gospel reading reminds me that even through the pain and imbalance in my life that I have God preparing a place for me right next to him! I often forget about the privileges I have even in the pain and imbalance in my life, I have a roof over my head, the capacity of choosing what I will get to eat, clean water, and much more. We focus more on the things that we do not have in life instead of what we do have. This verse reminds me to humble myself and to continue to seek others who may need my help or support.
God calls us to be stewards of justice and faith. It's a call to be there for others, the vulnerable, the poor, those who are living with injustices in their lives. We cannot forget about being there for the other.
Someone once said to me, “You can do something that doesn’t mean anything to you… but it may mean the world to someone else”. I like to say that each and every single one of us has a super power and that is the power of presence. We need to continue to acknowledge others around us and to see the dignity of the human being. Saying a hello and sharing a smile may make someone's day! Being present for those who are unseen may be what that individual needs in order to see hope in their lives. Sometimes I forget the impact that we each can make.
This reminds me of a time that I was in the Tenderloin. A part of my job is to take student groups into the community so that they learn more about poverty and how we can address this social injustice. I have been to the Tenderloin multiple times and have served at Saint Anthony's Foundation more than I count. These days are often tiring, and filled with the lack of hope. I see this issue all the time when I come here and it just doesn’t seem to be fixed… So why continue? I saw one of my students having a conversation with someone next to a piano and they ended up playing a song together. One of the guests at Saint Anthony's was teaching him how to play a song. Once they started playing, you saw his face light up. After a while, he said, “That was the most fun I had in weeks”…. That hit me hard. My student didn’t do much but hit one note on the piano, but yet this individual said that it was the most fun he had in weeks? I broke… but I also was filled with hope that we each can make those days happen for others. Our presence alone can liberate others from the lack of hope. Light shines when we ignite the light in others and it passes it on to us.
So I’ll say the same to you… You can do something that doesn’t mean much to you… but could mean the world to someone else. Use your super power!
