Spirit On The Margins

This piece of reflection comes to us from Mary Gallagher, another City House volunteer who serves as a listening presence among the homeless. Thanks Mary!!

 

 

A Memorial

so little

yet so much

 

 

The basement room was filled, on that rainy evening with folks who had come to the local Catholic Church for a free meal, an educational session and spiritual direction.  As a spiritual director, I felt honored to be there.  I often thought I received more from the individuals I talked with in a spiritual direction session than I could ever possibly give to them. 

 

As I walked into the church, I glanced up to see Sarah and her beloved dog.  She had a forlorn look in her eyes.  “Here,” she said, “Read this article.”  I glanced at the newspaper article and remembered seeing it in the newspaper a few days earlier.  “A Brutal Homicide,” was the title.  The article told of a homeless man who had been murdered by the Mississippi River for his possessions.  “Robert was my friend,” she said. “I wish we could do something here for him.”  Robert, the deceased man, had attended a few sessions of our educational program at the church.  Many of the program participants were acquainted with him on the street or had met him at a drop in center.  As Sarah continued to talk, she expressed her desire to have a memorial service for Robert.

 

At the end of the evening session, I spoke with the program facilitator regarding Sarah’s request. We decided to have a prayer service for Robert at our gathering the following week. 

 

When I arrived the next week, the newspaper article that Sarah had been carrying in her hand the week before was pinned to a bulletin board next to some pink, plastic flowers and a sympathy card.  I noticed people reading the newspaper article about Robert as they gathered in small groups around the board, many shaking their head in disbelief.  At the end of the evening, we all joined hands in a circle… all ages, all nationalities, and all the poorest of the poor, who mainly live in shelters, low income housing or on the street. The facilitator invited anyone who wanted, to say a few words about Robert.  Sarah, along with some others, shared their thoughts about this kind Native American they had met at a shelter.  “A thoughtful man, a man who loved basketball, a defender of the underdog,” was just a few of the comments that filled the air. As tears flowed we said the Our Father and then read in unison,

 

He will raise you up on eagle’s wings

Bear you on the breath of dawn,

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand…

                                                            Isaiah 40:31

 

As the reading ended, tears changed to smiles as thirty-five caring individuals broke into a rousing applause as a final good-bye to Robert, a soul whose tragedy had gifted them with an opportunity to share what they had the most of….love.

 

For me this was a simple but powerful memorial.  These heartfelt expressions of shared memories allowed God’s grace and love to transform their grief into a bond of healing and caring for one another.  I was blessed to be a part of this special moment.

 

Basilica St. Mary’s Minneapolis Pathways Program

 

This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 2:39 pm and is filed under The Poor Transformed, Transformed by the poor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.