the illusion of wealth

In addition to writing content for the Pelican Project, I am the director of an Outreach center that is a part of our church. We distribute food, clothing, and utility assistance and run an eviction prevention program through which we provide advocacy and financial assistance to low-income families facing an eviction. 

The above description of our services is easy to read without evoking much emotion, isn't it? 

As someone who loves words, I struggle to find the right ones to share the emotional weight of the work that happens at Outreach daily. As the director, I set policy and do paperwork, unlock doors and set alarms, write grants and schedules... But the volunteers - they do the real work by encountering each person who walks through our doors with open arms. They listen as each client shares their story, absorbing bits of their suffering as they walk together for the short time they remain within our center. Their work serves as a slight lift from the bottom of each client's cross that offers a moment of relief, but more importantly, the solace of knowing that as they trudge forward, they do not walk alone.

My office sits directly beside our clothing room, and, more than anywhere else, I hear what happens in this room most clearly. It has been an unexpected blessing to listen to the holy work that so reverently affirms the dignity of each person who steps in. Clothing the naked is a mercy modeled to us in the first pages of Genesis when God fashioned together the first piece of clothing, preparing Adam and Eve for a world with sin. He created clothing to shelter their bodies from the elements and their newfound vulnerability while honoring the gift of modesty. God desires that every mother, father, and child who steps into our clothing room be His tabernacle, and our wonderful volunteers treat them as such.

Our eviction program serves as a unique way to shelter the homeless; it developed out of the serious need within our community. From 2022-2023, our homeless population of children alone increased 350%. Hundreds within our community press themselves into the city's crevices, under bridges and overpasses, and among the trees of the riverwalk. Our program was designed to step in when a family, already living in poverty, is facing the reality of homelessness with an eviction in their hand. 

For every family we help to stay housed, there are ten others whose things are set on the curb, and the locks changed on the front door. For every thousand mouths fed, thousands more go to bed hungry. And, for every child we give new clothing, there are 20 more who have never had a pair of new socks or undergarments. There is humility in recognizing that we can only do so much - to turn someone away because the funds have been spent, all the coats given away, and no more food lines the shelves; it makes you recognize your smallness. 

I often think about our smallness and the inadequacy of our bank account to make a dent in the poverty we see daily. It is at these moments that I am brought to the piece of scripture pinned above my desk. In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) 

The reality is, God designed us to have daily physical needs because they point us to a deeper spiritual need that must be nourished. Our body requires food while our soul aches for the Eucharist; our body needs the protection of clothing while our soul desires a veil of virtue; and our body seeks shelter while our soul is restless until it rests in the sanctuary of God's heart. When our physical needs are perfecty satiated we may foolishly believe we have the ability to sustain ourselves; poverty offers clarity through the illusion of wealth.

So, it is for this reason that I can understand the heart of a heavenly Father who allows such material need. It is within the vulnerability of hunger and thirst that we seek an eternal banquet, Living Water, and the shelter of God's arms.

My prayer is that the material needs of every person who steps into our Outreach Center may be met in some small way, but greater still, I pray that they encounter the heart of God through our work because it is through Him that their deepest needs will be met in abundance.

Please talk with your children about corporal works of mercy. They aren’t a community service “to-do” list; they are non-negotiable for the daily Christian life, which allows us to honor the dignity of our neighbor and serve as Christ’s hands and feet while inviting them to His heart. Download our Pray, Grow, and Serve below to help you in this conversation with your kiddos!