… Do not turn your face away from the poor.  From the needy do not turn your eyes.  Sirach 4:4-5

In charity and justice, do we at times turn our gaze away?

Open our eyes:

I was talking with my wife Ann a few weeks ago.  She can’t get the homeless off her mind and heart.  She had heard about the Safe Harbor Church of the Nazarene in Vancouver and their attempt at providing tiny homes for the homeless.  Those homes were to be on the church property.    The following quotes from the 12/16/2015 the Vancouver Columbian article – http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/dec/16/vancouver-church-backs-out-of-homeless-village/

The federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act says local governments are limited in their ability to regulate religious land, said Jonathan Young, assistant city attorney for Vancouver. Because the city’s regulation of church property stops at serious health and safety issues, religious institutions are the only establishments that legally could provide a place for the homeless to camp without first amending city zoning codes, he said.

The plan was delayed by the threat of a lawsuit.  Resident Mandy Eguma wrote,  “This type of temporary housing project MUST be located outside the city limits,  improving the temporary housing options for homelessness is a message to Clark County residence (sic) that we support homelessness and will build more housing options. … Other counties may see this as an invitation to bus their homeless population here.”

Open our hearts:

Pope Francis in his World Day of Peace 2016 message Overcome Indifference and Win Peace notes two ways in which indifference to our neighbor is manifested.

• Some people are well-informed; they listen to the radio, read the newspapers or watch television, but they do so mechanically and without engagement. They are vaguely aware of the tragedies afflicting humanity, but they have no sense of involvement or compassion. Theirs is the attitude of those who know, but keep their gaze, their thoughts and their actions focused on themselves.

• In other cases, indifference shows itself in lack of concern for what is happening around us, especially if it does not touch us directly. Some people prefer not to ask questions or seek answers; they lead lives of comfort, deaf to the cry of those who suffer.

The Lord, Pope Francis and my wife are helping me to open the eyes of my heart.

Open the eyes of my heart mediation.  Words used from song written by Michael W. Smith.

Peace – John

Homeless Veteran – permission received for photo
(c) John M. Kingery  2015- All Rights Reserved

Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace. – Catechism of the Catholic Church #2310

Three Realities

Christmas Eve, I was downtown and met a homeless vet at pioneer square.   Martin (not his real name) had spent 12 years in the military with 4 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.He was discharged after being injured by an IED.  As result, he has plate in his head and experiencing memory loss.  That proved a problem when he missed a VA appointment and now is back on the waiting list for treatment.

Martin is from Georgia and responded with “Sir and no Sir” when I was asking him questions about his situation.  He reminded me of my only brother Bill (we called him Bill) who did 2 tours in Vietnam.  We lost him for 20 years. Thankfully, he had 20 more years before he passed away in 2012.  My big brother believed that no one should be homeless in our country, especially the veterans.

Salvation Army Band
(c) John M. Kingery – 2015

Park West Building
(c) John M. Kingery – 2015 All Rights Reserved

I gave Martin a $1 and left $5 across the street at the Salvation Army kettle in front of Nordstrom’s.  Another block west, the Park Avenue building is near completion.   Prices range from $2,156 for a 573 sq ft studio to $4,538 for 1328 sq ft two bedroom condo/apartment.  My boss who lives in St. John’s is reluctant to sell his home.  He realizes he and his wife would not be able to remain in area if they do.  We have similar issues in Washington County and the area around St. Juan Diego.

As the character of John Adams sang in 1776 – “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see? “

Yes, we care and much is being done.  Still, more is needed to help our veterans and create a world where the first reaction is not always violence.  Peace –  John

When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”  (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)  Mark 5:2, 5-8

This man that Jesus healed was an outcast and dominated by unclean spirits. He was released. Pray for and help the men mentioned below and others to be released from their demons

Snakes and bags

My office is in an 1880’s home in downtown Portland, Oregon.  It is referred to as the “Green House” or “building 2”.  During breaks, I will generally take a short walk around the block.

Around Thanksgiving, I stepped out the door and turned the corner.  I saw an individual poking at bush behind a fence across the street.  He would poke at the bush, step back and utter a few words; the routine was repeated a number of times in the next few minutes.

I asked a co-worker what was happening.  She said, “He is trying to get the snakes out of the bush.”  There were no snakes in that bush.  We could not see them, but he could.

A few days later, I turned that same corner and saw something similar to a white cape.  It was draped over a body.  Again, I wondered what was going on.  Walking down the corner, I asked Steven, the security guard,  was there anything we could do.  “Oh, he is just tired and needed to rest”, Steven remarked.

We continued chatting for a few minutes.  Glancing back, the cape moved and a body emerged.  I greeted the individual and asked if he need anything.   He simply walked on oblivious to my greeting and Steven.

Both individuals were and are living in their own version of reality.  It could be mental illness or drug addiction.  I am not qualified to say.

Individuals are homeless for a variety of reasons.   Mental illness and substance abuse are a contributing factor.  Still according to a 2011 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) –

• 26.2% of all sheltered persons who were homeless had a severe mental illness
• 34.7% of all sheltered adults who were homeless had chronic substance use issue

http://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/hrc_factsheet.pdf

I will be released by Joe Cocker – https://youtu.be/5t_U2unQgfg. He had demons of his own which he eventually overcame.

Peace and healing to all – John