Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Yes, that's all

At mass yesterday, we not only heard about Jonah and his trying to run from what God wanted him to do, but we also heard the story of the Good Samaritan. Our pastoral intern gave an excellent reflection on listening when God calls us. He talked about our need to help others and to think about how Jesus would react to someone asking for help. He ended with, I think, a healthy dose of Catholic guilt to really get everyone to reflect on their own actions.

So, of course, I get to put this into play today. I went grocery shopping and as I was loading up the car, a woman approached me and asked for money. She explained that she was just trying to get a few dollars together to get some food. Now, I had just spent almost $200 on groceries, but that was on my bank card. I hardly ever have cash. So, I begin digging through my purse to see what I can find. With the size of my purse, this is no small task. I know the kids emptied all my change just a few days ago. Finally, triumphantly, I find one lone, crumpled dollar bill. As I pull it out and hand it to her, she looks at it and says,"Is that all?"

Lucky for me, with four kids, I'm used to ingratitude.

1 comment:

Bianca said...

oh my! And it's those kind of experiences that make me not want to give in that way. I still will give and if I have money to "Spare" I will usually give it to an organization or some charity function. Rarely, and I mean rarely do I give it to an individual like this, because of the ingratitude. I guess Jesus experienced the same thing and we are called to be Christ-like! God Bless you for giving what you can, and I know I would appreciate it if a stranger gave me some money for food!