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A New Twist on "Love Thy Neighbor"
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Courtesy: FCBC YOUTHNET
You know times are tough. Daily Mass numbers are looking more like early Sunday Mass numbers. (Attendees aren't just housewives and retirees.) More dads are collecting the kids and doing the shopping. More and more collection baskets are being passed over as they're being passed along.
In church we smile warmly at each other, remember to say hello to those we know, and exchange the "kiss of peace" after the Our Father with those next to us. But, for the majority of us, our involvement with our fellow parishioners doesn't go much further than that.
I grew up a few blocks from my Catholic Church. (My mom wanted to be within walking distance.) The majority of the families on my street were Catholic. We were at each other's weekday dinner tables. We called our neighbor parents "uncle" and "aunt." Dads helped each other fix their cars and paint their houses. Moms baby sat each others kids. Borrowed cups of sugar and flour continually crossed the fence and street. Today I can count the number of Catholics on my block on one hand and most of the families on my street don't attend any Sunday service.
A few years ago when I was struggling a guy in my church, who had his own mortgage business, walked up after Mass and handed me a stack of supermarket script. He explained he and his wife had planned on contributing to some organized charity, but how much better it would if they could help someone they knew. (It was one of those acts of random goodness that renewed my Faith and my faith in my fellow man.)
A couple of days ago I was chatting with the butcher at the local Albertson's. I noticed he had an east coast accent and asked him how he liked living here in the OC. "I wish the people were as beautiful as the geography," he replied. "Back in PA your neighbor may not have had as much, but he'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it."
How many of us even know our neighbors?
Close to 500,000 lost their jobs last month. We've been in a deepening recession for over a year. Unemployment is the worst in 26 years and promises to get even worse. Those in need aren't just the sign-holding homeless at the intersections. For many college grads, with lots of job years invested, unemployment insurance is running out with no job in sight.
Each parish has it's share of business owners and those in business that make employment decisions. Just think what could happen if those in need could network with them for opportunities. When times are tough wouldn't you favor the guy or girl you see at Mass every week up there receiving Communion? (Don't those actions demonstrate reliability, commitment and character?)
When Jesus spoke the Golden Rule he chose the words "love your neighbor" for a reason. (The parable He used to illustrate it was "hands-on.") Too often too many of us delegate our charitable practice. We drop a check in the mail or some second collection basket to those we don't know to help those we'll never see.
Maybe it's time we checked across the fence or sidewalk and put a real face on our donation.
You'd be surprised how many of your neighbors will pay your kindness forward many times over... as soon they get back on their feet.
SUGGESTION:
Make a case to your pastor to start formal job networking and job posting activities where fellow parishioners can get together. (Each parish has a local bulletin and website.) Too often we Catholics get criticized for our lack of community. Let's show the greater community that's not the case.
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