HAVING THE ATTITUDE OF THE BEATITUDES
Visit the BEATITUDE MINISTRY BLOG and send your own experiences to webmaster@stmarytampa.org.
Our Beatitude Ministry
The stark facts face us each time we watch the news, read the newspapers or are driving by some street corner: we have homeless people right here in our parish. If you look at the map on the beatitude bags you will notice the areas that we are targeting are both in and beyond our parish boundaries. These are our street people - the ones we are being called to help. Just who are they? The Homeless Coalition in Hillsborough County tells us:
The homeless people are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters,
brothers and sisters. They are our neighbors and co-workers.
For some of us, they may be our friends. In fact, with the
highest rate of homelessness in the state of Florida,
Hillsborough County's homeless population reflects
the diversity of our entire community.
They are people who have been homeless for many years;
others, for just a few months.
Some, at one point in their lives, "had it all"
but due to bad choices or a series
of unfortunate circumstances, found themselves
on the streets.
The stark facts face us each time we watch the news, read the newspapers or are driving by some street corner: we have homeless people right here in our parish. If you look at the map on the beatitude bags you will notice the areas that we are targeting are both in and beyond our parish boundaries. These are our street people - the ones we are being called to help. Just who are they? The Homeless Coalition in Hillsborough County tells us:
The homeless people are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters,
brothers and sisters. They are our neighbors and co-workers.
For some of us, they may be our friends. In fact, with the
highest rate of homelessness in the state of Florida,
Hillsborough County's homeless population reflects
the diversity of our entire community.
They are people who have been homeless for many years;
others, for just a few months.
Some, at one point in their lives, "had it all"
but due to bad choices or a series
of unfortunate circumstances, found themselves
on the streets.
Another stark fact that I have come to know is that it is illegal to be homeless in America. Like thousands of unheard, unseen, very low-income and no-income children, families and individuals living in poverty in America, have been incarcerated for those crimes. They are criminals of poverty. Then we are confronted with news that we need to "clean up this or that neighborhood." When we hear those hygiene metaphors, we need to be conscious that the human beings who are being "cleaned up" and "cleaned out" are people of color, poor and homeless youth, elders, someone functioning with a substance abuse problem, living with a mental illness or other disability, living in a car, or migrant day laborers. They are the panhandlers, recyclers, or workfare workers. God who loves all people, even our street people, gives us messages to continue to establish the Reign of God on earth. Thus we have the Beatitude Ministry born here at St. Mary Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines "Beatitude" as "happiness or blessedness…" We have all been taught the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount as the meaning and way to true happiness. They give us a path to true discipleship. I have read that being a disciple of Jesus means being a "clone of Jesus." In spite of the many negative connotations attached to this expression, it is very suggestive of a profound truth about discipleship; we are to be so much like Jesus that when people see us, they cannot but see Jesus at the same time.
Over the course of several years in my ministry here at St. Mary's, two, three, or more children from the same family have crossed my path. I am always struck by the family traits that singled these children out as belonging to a certain family. Even if a child was very different from its siblings, certain family traits and attitudes were unmistakable so much so that one could see them and listen to them for the first time and say: "That's one of the Jones' all right…one of the Smith's for sure."
What traits should a Christian have? What family traits should be so obvious as to make others say "That's a Christian all right……that's a disciple of Jesus? If a Christian is someone who strives to become more and more like Jesus, what DNA blueprints can a Christian follow to insure that he or she becomes a "clone of Jesus", a person who has the same attitudes as he did, who acts as he did, who thinks as he did?
Where can we find such blueprints?
I believe there is a discipleship blueprint: the Beatitudes. In them we find the "attitudes" of Jesus. To meditate upon these few verses of Scripture is to "gaze" upon the traits of Jesus. As we do this, we are slowly transformed into reflections of Jesus. We become ever more fully his disciples, and, at the same time, ever more fully the masterpieces we were meant to be. The more we let ourselves be carved by the wind of the Spirit and the water of our Baptism, the more we will become for others the fascinating "clones" of Jesus and they, in turn, will slowly be transformed into Jesus' disciples as well. Join us in our Beatitude Ministry and reach out to our brothers and sisters on the streets.
Sister Nancy Christopher, OSF
Over the course of several years in my ministry here at St. Mary's, two, three, or more children from the same family have crossed my path. I am always struck by the family traits that singled these children out as belonging to a certain family. Even if a child was very different from its siblings, certain family traits and attitudes were unmistakable so much so that one could see them and listen to them for the first time and say: "That's one of the Jones' all right…one of the Smith's for sure."
What traits should a Christian have? What family traits should be so obvious as to make others say "That's a Christian all right……that's a disciple of Jesus? If a Christian is someone who strives to become more and more like Jesus, what DNA blueprints can a Christian follow to insure that he or she becomes a "clone of Jesus", a person who has the same attitudes as he did, who acts as he did, who thinks as he did?
Where can we find such blueprints?
I believe there is a discipleship blueprint: the Beatitudes. In them we find the "attitudes" of Jesus. To meditate upon these few verses of Scripture is to "gaze" upon the traits of Jesus. As we do this, we are slowly transformed into reflections of Jesus. We become ever more fully his disciples, and, at the same time, ever more fully the masterpieces we were meant to be. The more we let ourselves be carved by the wind of the Spirit and the water of our Baptism, the more we will become for others the fascinating "clones" of Jesus and they, in turn, will slowly be transformed into Jesus' disciples as well. Join us in our Beatitude Ministry and reach out to our brothers and sisters on the streets.
Sister Nancy Christopher, OSF
Changes to St. Mary's Beatitude Ministry
Our Beatitude Ministry has been successful since we started it two years ago. Until Fr. Jude returns, parishioners are asked to fill bags on their own to keep this ministry alive. The items for the bag are: pop top cans or plastic containers of nonperishable items such as spaghetti & meatballs, Vienna sausage, fruit, tuna, chicken, bottled water, and plastic utensils (knife, fork and spoon), pair of socks, soap & small towel.
Our Beatitude Ministry has been successful since we started it two years ago. Until Fr. Jude returns, parishioners are asked to fill bags on their own to keep this ministry alive. The items for the bag are: pop top cans or plastic containers of nonperishable items such as spaghetti & meatballs, Vienna sausage, fruit, tuna, chicken, bottled water, and plastic utensils (knife, fork and spoon), pair of socks, soap & small towel.