Our reflection in the Little Burgundy Book today for Wednesday of the second week speaks about St Basil the Great, a Bishop in Cappadocia in modern-day Turkey in the 4th century, at the time when Christianity was first recognized as a religion in the Roman empire. He was an important theologian in the time between the Church council in Nicea and the council in Constantinople, when the basic beliefs of Christianity were still be developed. He defended the Church against heresies and helped develop the doctrine of the Trinity. However, Basil is also well-known for his care of the poor and the marginalized in society. Basil gave away his own riches to the poor. While he was Bishop, during a time of famine that followed a severe drought, he personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor. He also organized a compound in the city where he was bishop that included a hostel for the poor, a hospice for the dying, and a hospital for the sick. A quote of his states: “Had you clothed the naked, had you given your bread to the hungry, had your door been open to every stranger, had you been a parent to the orphan, had you made the suffering of every helpless person your own, what money would you have left, the loss of which to grieve?” He also states: “The bread in your house belongs to the hungry. The money which you save up belongs to the poor.” These are strong statements that give us a lot to think about.
When I served at a soup kitchen and food bank in Winnipeg, Canada for two years from 1992 to 1994 as a lay missionary, the matriarch and head of the soup kitchen, Mrs Dolly White, was a mother and mentor to me. She was like a Winnipeg version of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I still stay in touch with her and her family as she is the resident of a nursing home in Winnipeg right now and in very poor health. Physically, Mrs White is a tiny lady of French and native American ancestry, all hunched over. Yet, she is a lady of great love, energy, and compassion. She dedicated herself to the street people, the drug addicts, and the prostitutes who lived in inner city Winnipeg. Some of them would come into the soup kitchen covered in paint or smelling of cleanser, things they would sniff to get high. Many were heroin addicts. You can just imagine what it is like trying to survive on the streets during a Canadian winter, where it was often 10 or 20 below zero not counting the cold biting winter wind. We made soup of out what we got donated from the local food bank, leftovers from grocery stores and cafeterias at hospitals. The budget at the soup kitchen was basically zero. But we did our best to feed the hungry and they always had something to eat. Mrs White could be tough with the street people when she needed to be, but they always knew of the love and compassion that she had for them. Those days at the soup kitchen are some of the best memories that I have. I still remember their names and their faces. I still remember the run-down inner-city streets that I would ride down on my mountain bike. I still remember their voices joining together to pray before the meal and to sing Amazing Grace.
Love of God is a key factor in the way we are to approach our lives, approach our faith, and approach stewardship of our gifts, our talents, and our time. Love of neighbor and love of the poor are key as well. May we search our hearts to see how God is calling us to good stewards of all that we have.
Blessings to all of you. Have a blessed week. Father Lincoln.
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