At a Sacrifice by Peter Maurin
In the first centuries
of Christianity
the hungry were fed
at a personal sacrifice,
the naked were clothed
at a personal sacrifice,
the homeless were sheltered
at a personal sacrifice.
And because the poor
were fed, clothed and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice,
the pagans used to say
about the Christians
"See how they love each other." 
In our own day
the poor are no longer 
fed, clothed and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice,
at a personal sacrifice,
but at the expense 
of the taxpayers.
And because the poor 
are no longer 
fed, clothed and sheltered
the pagans say about the Christians
"See how they pass the buck." 

---

Peter Maurin gave his life to teaching that the Church’s faithfulness required each Christian to live in such a way that their ministry came at a personal expense. He taught that each of us is personally responsible for the needs in front of us on any given day. Central to his belief was the idea that none of us could pass off onto another (or to a group/government) our calling to give of our own resources to serve those in need. While I believe our modern day allows for a third way, I am deeply moved and convicted by his message and encourage all of us to spend time with his challenge.

Why don’t we feel a responsibility to feed, clothe, and shelter the needy in our community? Is the answer really as simple as, “We give taxes so the government should be doing this.”? Or perhaps it is more calloused than this. Perhaps we’ve devolved so far into rugged individualism that we believe the needy need to do it themselves. Do we believe that the path out of poverty and destitution is paved today, meaning there are no longer any true needs in our society? I wonder what Jesus thinks about this. I wonder what Jesus thinks about a city in which the resources given to feed, clothe, and shelter the needy are but a fraction of what is spent on church building HVAC repair.

I’m no saint. My personal finances could certainly use a reassessment and reallocation. I reckon these are just the ramblings of a hypocrite. But perhaps they are more. Perhaps these thoughts are the groundwork, creating a community of folks who eventually choose to live differently. Maybe a few of us will sit with this conviction long enough to begin to reclaim the belief that those in need really are in need—that the love God has placed within our hearts is uncomfortable sitting in a bucket and craves a drain through which it can flow to the needy—that the single mother, the unhoused widow, the undocumented immigrant really do have tangible needs—that perhaps through God’s sovereignty and the work of the Holy Spirit we have been uniquely located here with the very resources needed to meet those needs.

Either we’ve rightfully delegated this responsibility to the government and they are in need of our passion, action, and assistance in order to do a much better job, or we have wrongfully delegated this responsibility to the government and we need to pick it up once again. Either way, I suspect in the end I will have wished that I spent more time visiting prisoners, caring for the sick, and feeding/clothing the hungry and poor. Maybe one or two of you are pricked by this and want to keep the conversation going – please reach out.

Grace and peace.