We can no longer be satisfied by simply being the Church for the poor from our position of establishment. We must realize that sometimes that very generosity, that very attempt to be good to other people, has kept us in a position of power and superiority. Somehow we must be of and with the poor, and then be ready for some mistrust and even criticism.
Dom Helder Camara (1909-1999), the holy Archbishop of Recife, Brazil, said it so truthfully, “As long as I fed the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked, ‘Why are there so many poor people?’ they called me a communist.”
I have struggled with what it means to have a ministry of and with the poor in Girdwood. We DO have poor. We do have folks who need help at Christmas and Thanksgiving and various times during the year. We do have kids who need clothing. And, it is true that we do have some who are voluntarily poor. But so often I feel as if I'm a long way from being "OF" and "WITH" the poor...no matter how much I view this as a characteristic of the one I call Lord and God.
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