When faith crashes

I haven't felt I've been living up to the title of Chaplain for a long time. I haven't lost faith in God or questioned the love of Christ, but I lost faith in people. When too many people turn their backs on others, it is almost impossible to look for the goodness in others.

Last night I went with ten other members of Valencia College Veteran's Council to a homeless shelter run by Coalition for the Homeless. We served meals and smiles to 290 men and women. The words of Christ rang in my ears.

Matthew 25
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Then the voices I've heard from the few getting attention in this country took over. The people who claim to be so concerned with the debt of this nation, pretending passing on the debt to our kids is more tragic than taking care of the least among us has made me doubt the suffering today matter at all.

Their voices of not wanting to make sure everyone has access to healthcare while conditions that could have been treated early end up causing death ignored by their hearts. They say they don't want to be forced to get health insurance but they never seem to have an answer for what will happen and who will be expected to pay when they get cancer or need a transplant to save their lives. Many of them have government health insurance in the form of Medicare and Medicaid but they don't seem to want anyone else to have it.

My cousin passed away Wednesday after spending two months in the hospital. She had decided, for whatever reason, to not go for checkups. In December, it was clear she something was going on inside of her body. Two months later, she was in enough distress that she finally went to the doctor. Her liver was failing, she had heart problems and no one knew what caused any of it. Then her kidneys shut down. Checkups might have been able to catch these problems in the beginning but by the time she went, it was too late.

She wasn't one of the people without health insurance. She had it but decided she didn't want to use it. How many people in this country saying they don't want to be forced to have health insurance any more than they want other people to have it, ever thought about the day when they are suddenly unhealthy? Do they plan on losing everything they have to pay for their care? Do they plan on other people paying for it? Do they plan on just ending up on pubic assistance then?

Here in Florida we have cut after cut for what regular people need but at the same time the folks wanting these cut backs scream about giving to the rich and what they need. Yet 290 showed up for a meal and a place on the floor to sleep. Some of them were in wheel chairs. Some of them were clearly veterans with metal where their legs used to be and the scars they carry are deep inside of them. They risked their lives for this country, ended up paying a very high price for it and then ended up paying more back home.

The folks wanting to cut 1.3 million veterans from getting healthcare from the VA never consider that most of these veterans have unapproved claims for wounds they suffered in combat and no one cared enough to make sure they got what they needed when they came home before they just gave up.

When you see and read so much suffering and then hear what people are unashamed to say, it is very hard to hang onto any kind of faith in man when they are so unkind.

But last night, when I went to bed, the sadness I felt at the shelter was replaced with the knowledge that as the "conservatives" end up with all the media attention, the people showing up to help others are doing God's work and there are a lot more of them than the people getting the attention of the media these days and there is great hope in that.

I used to work as the Circulation manager of a newspaper. There was a saying that "if it bleeds, it leads" and the "conservatives" have proven that fact. They get the attention for bleeding help for the needy dry and the others showing up to help are totally ignored.

Colossians 1 13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves

So, faith restored in the goodness of ignored outnumbering the greedy, Palm Sunday is not going to feel empty to me. Some of us did learn from Christ but others, well, they must still be looking for the Easter Bunny instead.

Matthew 11
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”