18-Oct-16

Gospel LK 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

Reflection:

He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest......"

Last Friday the "master of the harvest" sent a new "laborer."

George, (a first time My Brother's Keeper volunteer) and I did four furniture deliveries from our Dartmouth facility, two in New Bedford and two in Fall River.

Three of the families had recently been in a homeless shelter and were now living in sparsely furnished apartments. We brought beds and kitchen tables, pans to cook their meals, and dishes to put their food on.

Common, everyday items that we all take for granted. But for them, to be without these simple items is a constant reminder of their poverty.

Amazingly, we did not encounter any bitterness from the families about their circumstances, only gratitude that "we have a roof over our head." Or, "It is so good just to have a place of our own."

Our last delivery was to "Carlos." The address indicated that he lived in a basement apartment in the rear of the house.

Searching, we couldn't find the entrance to his apartment. We then saw a cement ramp that went beneath the house; we had to bend at the waist to get under the low overhang.

Once inside what felt like a cave, we found a long passageway leading to a door.

At our knock, a young man opened the door and greeted us, "Hi, I'm Carlos."

There were two rooms. The only furniture was a small couch.

A sweet young girl, perhaps three years old, stared at us. She seemed to have some "special" problems. One of her eyes was "misplaced," making it appear as if she were looking elsewhere.

Carlos' pregnant wife, "Crystal" was asleep on the floor among a pile of blankets.

"Carlos" immediately offered to help as we brought in a full bed for him and his wife and a twin bed for the little girl.

By the time we brought a dresser, kitchen set and boxes of kitchen items and linens, "Crystal" was up and sitting on the couch with the little girl.

"Crystal" was very quiet, clearly embarrassed by her merger circumstances.

I looked at George and knew he was thinking and feeling the same thing I felt. "These are nice people and their circumstances are so humble. I wish we could do more."

"Say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

I said, "Carlos, may we offer a blessing for your home?"

With that, Carlos' face lit up. "Yes, please, that would be great!" Pointing up, he said, "We always depend on Jesus."

On our drive back to My Brother's Keeper, George said, "I have never seen anything like what I've experienced today. I will definitely be back."

"He sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit." - - Luke 10:1