Active With Action

One of my Christmas presents this year, and probably my favorite, was a book called “A Call To Mercy” of Mother Teresa’s.  It is page after page of her words, others testimonies, and prayer and reflection.  It is humbling on each and every single page.  It is indescribable her love of the poorest of the poor, and her faith and love in Jesus Christ.

One of her concepts that makes me pause is her concept and reaction of “Christ in the distressing disguise.”   By this she means the mentally ill among us, the poor among us, the physically sick among us, the unloved among us, in essence the marginalized among us.   She sees Christ in each and every single circumstance, and calls it “Christ in the distressing disguise.”   With this thought in her every moment, every thought, she ministered unconditionally to the poorest of the poor.  She ministered to the Christ, and held the Christ in her hands, every time she touched, serviced, prayed, and cradled someone in her arms.  Just imagine the feeling of knowing that you are cradling Christ in your arms.  Certainly makes one look upon situations in a totally different light.

In our current environment of so much distress, concern, disappointment, worry, and outright hate, the one thing that we can continue to do is stay the course with our beliefs, never accept through silence, and never get “used to” circumstances that we have no control over.   The control we do have relates directly to our hearts, our actions, and our interactions.   I share one of Mother Teresa’s passages, as I feel it relates to action: 

“Love is for today; programs are for the future. We are for today; when tomorrow will come, we shall see what we can do. Somebody is thirsty for water for today, hungry for food for today.  Tomorrow we will not have them if we don’t feed them today. So be concerned with what you can do today.”   … Mother Teresa

To me, this is a call to take action today.  Nothing can be “fixed” totally today.  Not with the magnitude of changes being forced through at the rate they are being forced.   But today react with love; take care of the marginalized, for if they aren’t helped today, tomorrow may not matter.

Should we channel our strengths and finances in building a wall?  Is a wall what Christ would call us to do for our brothers and sisters?   Or would Christ call us to reach across a wall to offer help?   Would He call us to reach across a wall to welcome the marginalized?  Would He call us to reach across a wall and offer our hand to render aid?    Would He even tell us to build a wall?   Again another one of Mother Teresa’s passages:

“You see, we have a wrong idea that only hunger for bread is hunger. There is much greater hunger and much more painful hunger:  hunger for love, for the feeling of being wanted, to be somebody to somebody. A feeling of being unwanted, unloved, rejected.  I think that’s a very great hunger and very great poverty.”  … Mother Teresa

So what do we do?   I, for one, feel helpless in trying to prevent the country I know and love into building any kind of wall or barrier to our neighbors.  Let alone have to pay a dime for said wall.   Yes, I can call or write my Congressman or Senator, or whoever.   But do I feel that will make a difference … no!!!!   But what I can do is in my neighborhood, my city, my region … I can reach out and offer a hand to the marginalized.  I can get involved with Catholic Charities, who service the refugees in our areas, I can work at our lunch program in my church, that services the homeless, the hungry, refugees among them, I’m sure.   It’s the starfish proverb … throwing one starfish back into the ocean from a beach full of starfish may not make a difference to the hundreds left on the beach, but it makes a difference to the one, or the few,  that  were assisted.

I read an article recently on how to be an activist without losing your mind.   It was an interesting read.  I’ve lived my entire life, through the Vietnam War era, and I’ve never actively protested anything. Yes, I have strong feelings, and I’m not afraid to share them with others during conversations.  But I’ve never really protested or even considered myself an activist.   But maybe so now!   The article suggests that it really is impossible to react to everything you feel is wrong.   It would be exhausting and almost impossible to do so.  But rather, it suggested, that you pick the ones closest to your heart.  That doesn’t mean that you care less about the others, or don’t see the validity in the others, but that you simply choose the ones you want to become active with action!!  I like that … active with action!!!   In this manner, you can channel your energies, your time, your commitment to your cause.   I’m sure I will have more than one, more than two, maybe more than whatever.  

I think there is a silver lining to every tragedy.  The silver lining for all of us now, is that “silent” activists may have just been awakened.  Can you imagine what a difference we can all make, when we channel our energies into positive action for the marginalized?   What a glorious magnitude we may have on the future of many.   They are “Christ in the distressing disguise.”    I feel the need to be physically and prayerfully active with action.