By John Andrews
My day has been hijacked in the best possible way.
On the way into the Convention Center this morning I saw a young man outside holding a sign with a quote from Saint Mother Teresa. “If you can’t feed 100 people then feed just one.” I had already been troubled since we arrived by the sight of so many unhoused brothers and sisters on the streets of Indianapolis, laying on the sidewalks as we walked by on our way to these enriching talks and liturgies with all the comforts we needed. Jesus is surely here at this Congress in the Blessed Sacrament that we Adore throughout the day, at the many Masses celebrated, and in the faith-filled people who are here to focus on Him. But He is also here with us in those that we are seeing on the streets, with matted hair, hollow eyes and the desperate pleas for help that some shout at us. How do we respond to this?
After my morning Impact Session, I went looking for the young man with the sign. His name is Braedon and he is a student at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He’s not homeless, he and a friend have made it their mission this week to remind attendees of the Congress that, as Braedon says, “if we want Eucharistic Revival, we have to start by bringing Christ to the poor.” It was inspiring to see Braedon and his friend offering this powerful witness, so I decided talk with some of the unhoused in our midst to get their take on this big religious gathering in their town. James told me many of the attendees have been kind to him these last few days, and expressed some frustration with a man who was proselytizing nearby with a megaphone (not Catholic). I gave him all the food I had in my backpack and wished him well. Later I talked with Candy, who also reported that the Congress attendees have been generous to her.
Continuing through downtown at lunchtime I noticed a large group of homeless brothers and sisters sitting on a blanket on a street corner amid peak foot traffic. I asked Jonathan and Julisa, two young Catholics from the Pacific Northwest who are attending the Congress, what they thought of all the people living on the streets here in Indianapolis. Their response was both troubling and hopeful. “It breaks my heart,” Julisa said. “It’s not just their bodies that are broken, it’s like their souls are broken.” Both said they think the problem of homelessness is complicated and perhaps to big for them to even get started in helping so, they admitted, they end up “just ignoring them.” This is the “Culture of Indifference” that Pope Francis so often talks about as a real threat to our practice of faith. Why do we find it so easy to turn our eyes from the poor? Yesterday at Mass, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone advised that taking time to feed the hungry should be part of our weekly preparation to receive the Eucharist at Mass. “We cannot separate our responsibility to care for the poor from our identity as Catholics,” he said during his homily.
I’ll end this report with a little light. The organizers of the Congress at some level have recognized the importance of feeding the poor in a true Eucharistic Revival. In the Exhibit Hall the organization Million Meal Movement has a food packaging station set up where attendees can donate some time packing boxes of bagged macaroni and cheese for transport to local food pantries. I spent a couple of hours there (skipped my afternoon breakout, sorry), making sure the little macaroni bags weighed between 13.8 and 14.0 ounces (it was quite a detailed assembly line). I enjoyed working alongside faithful Catholics from different parts of the country who, even as they attended this high-profile event, did not forget their brothers and sisters in need.
Until tomorrow…
John Andrews is the Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of San Bernardino.