Sunday morning was beautiful and vibrant; a welcome change from all the rain we have been getting. It was the twentieth Ordinary Sunday, and I sat in my church with my wife and my parents who were visiting for the weekend. The day's homily (sermon/message etc) focused on the way we react to and treat beggars in the street. There they are, crying out for aid for reasons unbeknown to us; stirring up a range of emotions and thoughts in us, the 'fortunate', the very instant they initiate contact. As they who beg are poor in material belongings, we who refuse assistance are poor in compassion and love. I thought about that point, deciding that yes, they may be there through their own doing, whether that be drugs, gambling or some other destructive pastime, or it may have been just a most unlucky series of events that brought them to the life they were now marooned in.
I went away questioning myself and wondering how I might react next time I was in that situation.
What happened later that day was most unexpected. I was presented with the very opportunity I had been left in thought with, although with a slight twist.
I was dabbling on the guitar after lunch and we heard a knock at the back door. Our neighbour stood holding a little bundle of joy - the cutest black and white kitten! She was wondering if we had misplaced her. She had been looking after her for a short while, but her son was having an allergic reaction.
Presto! To offer compassion and love, or not to offer to compassion and love? That was the question! Well, my wife and I are suckers for cute things. We took her in and gave her a bit of tucker which she gorged down in seconds.
Three days later, she is still with us. My wife was feeling a touch of guilt that she had stolen someone's new kitty, so we are going to put an ad in the local rag, as well as mailbox drop in the nearby streets. Little Chloe is very affectionate, healthy, and seems quite happy staying with us for now. I'll get around to posting up a photo of her shortly.
I'm going along to church next weekend with the hope that the homily is about the man that found a pile of gold...
With optimism,
Luke
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