Homeless
Angels
“Angels
argued that humans would be a liability in the creation because they
were always fouling things up. If the angels had their way, humans
would be out of the picture, and the universe would run smoothly and
predictably. This, of course, is precisely the point. What would be
the purpose of a universe that was totally predictable?”
Rabbi
David A. Cooper (God is a Verb-Kabbalah and the practice of mystical
Judaism)
The
angels were right, naturally. Humans are always fouling things up! In
the Spirituality Group yesterday, we talked about the homeless people
in our community. One of the many places they take refuge is the
Public Libraries around town, and three of our members work in
libraries. They spoke of the training they received to not engage
with the homeless, to never give them money, and if they saw them
panhandling patrons, to alert the security guard at once. How
difficult it is to have compassion for these unfortunate people and
not be able to help; how much guilt this engenders in those who have
a home. One of our young men said, “I know if I were in their
shoes, given how difficult it is to claw your way up from the bottom,
I, too, would be begging.” What have they got to lose?
We
also wondered, in the big scheme of things, what is the lesson of
living in a world where there are homeless people. Even refugees have
camps—we provide for them as best we can—while the homeless are
left to roam the streets and fend for themselves, or rely on private
shelters that haven't space for everyone. In the book, God is a
Verb, one of the author's mentors, Rabbi Shlomo, always arrived
late for engagements because he stopped to help every beggar along
the way. “He believed that the world was balanced on our ability to
help one another.” He called them, “Holy brother,” and “Holy
sister.”
Perhaps
the homeless are here to raise our awareness of the inequities that
exist in our culture. They are a constant reminder “there, but for
the grace of God, go I.” Another of their favorite hang-out sites
in Birmingham is a large green expanse of park right in front of City
Hall. Now there's a message.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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