Radical Compassion: Finding Christ in the Heart of the Poor

I was struck by how the deprivations that people experience can lead to eccentric kinds of compensation—like the hoarding syndrome of some of the poor.

Occasionally in life one meets an individual who leaves an indelible imprint on the soul. Noel was such a person for me. He touched me with his holiness, for I always felt stronger and more in touch with life when Noel told me that he was praying for me. And I will always remember his laughter, whether it was ringing down a street out of the sheer

On the other hand, many individuals, I think, are driven to talking to themselves and to the mannequins of their lives because there is no one around to listen to them or care about them.

Shea had suffered. He knew better than most about life’s ups and downs, its misunderstandings and broken relationships. He had endured the disorder of internal battles and physical disabilities. He came through it all not as a bitter, cantankerous, and introverted old man but as a human being capable of a loving response to those he trusted. Of cou

The God talk, I realize, has become more and more a part of his vocabulary.

The spirit of God will use me as an agent of reconciliation, no matter how resistant or unprepared or prejudiced I may be.

Mara and I visited him today. He talked at length about belief and faith and God. “My resistance to God,” he said, “has always been rooted in my feelings of being dirty. Like I am always a leper. But I know that we are all lepers to some degree and that in spite of that God still loves us. In fact, Jesus spent a lot of time with lepers, didn’t he,

The three of us talked about God’s providence and how we have all been brought together. He asked me what providence meant. I explained, “It’s like when you have some good friends and you would like them to meet each other so that they can grow and love in each other’s presence; that is how God looks upon us and tries to enhance our lives.”

The reality of homelessness, inadequate housing, and the lack of affordable housing is a national disgrace. This reality undermines the life and dignity of so many of our brothers and sisters who lack a decent place to live. It destroys lives and families. The crime of homelessness is not that people live in filthy camps under bridges, or that fami

It was the party of the century. We were in the presence of unyielding simplicity and care. He who had so little was giving us a lesson in how to give, and with not one hint of self-absorption. He was loving us in the best way he could.