the least of these

10:30 sunday morning service...
"can you help me out with some money for food", says the man sitting outside on the church steps.
"not right now, man", my roommate and I respond".

10:30 sunday night walking the dog...
"do you have any change?", says the woman by the 'L'.
"no (but I do have $2.00 i'm about to spend on a chocolate/coffee shake)", i tell her.

last saturday night...
"do you have 52 cents for a train ride?" says michael, a homeless man whose wife cheated on him with his little brother.
"well, i'll go with you and get something to drink or eat", i offer him.

dilemmas? i encounter one of these "dilemmas" daily here in uptown chicago. i sit with the question: how do i stop with the bandaids of hand outs and cups of coffee. what really do these men and women need and who am i to decide.

if it is an ear to listen, i'm on an agenda-- a quater, what are you going to spend it on?-- a cigarette, should i give you one?-- some food, i don't have any with me. what does jesus mean when he says, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

what am i doing for the least of these brothers? why am i hesitant to make eyecontact with the people all around me? why am i scared?

back to the 10:30 morning service...
would jesus have gone to the church service on time or gotten the man something to eat? at least offered? what if he's on that stoop every sunday? "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat" hm. should i feed him every sunday?