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He huddled on a corner of Charing Cross Road, wrapped in a makeshift blanket in an attempt to keep out the cold wind which whipped along the street. He didn’t even have the strength to beg. When a coin was placed in his hand he looked up gratefully. I had found some loose change in my pocket after paying £13 for a cinema ticket and I felt I had given him the world! But then, some words of St. Ambrose came back to haunt me. He once said:
“It was in common and for all, rich and poor, that the earth was created. Why then, O rich, do you take to yourselves the monopoly of owning land? Nature does not know the rich; it brings forth only the poor. It is not with your wealth that you give alms to the poor, but with a fraction of their own which you give back; for you are usurping for yourself something meant for the common good of all. The earth is for everyone, not only for the rich.”
Sometimes, in my encounters with the poor and homeless, I have found out something of their story—and it’s important to remember that they each have a story to tell. The poor and destitute on the streets of London or anywhere are not some sub-human species. They are you and me but you and me down on their luck. Hearing the stories can help to understand that some of them once had lives as rich as ours and some never had a chance from birth. They deserve to be treated as precious human beings.
And they deserve better from us. Why should it be that in a so-called civilized society we can leave the poor on our streets, either tossing them a coin or turning our heads away as if that might mean they will disappear?
What sort of Society are we that frets about the credit crunch as we make our way to Tesco or M & S but fail to provide for the most needy in our society for whom the credit crunch came long ago? They are experts when it comes to living off nothing.
So, I thank God for places like Manna who will receive our Harvest goods today and use them prudently to help the poor and homeless. More importantly the Manna Society doesn’t play at being lord and lady bountiful. They are hands on. They touch the lives of the poor and embrace them as if they were Christ—which in a sense they are. So, thank you for your gifts today. Thank you for helping the poor by giving to Manna.
Why is that so important at Harvest Thanksgiving when we might fill our church with fruit and veg and pretend we are in the heart of the countryside? I suppose it’s because that in our Collect today we pray that we may use God’s gifts for the relief of those in need. In the Kingdom of God they as much as we are Christ’s Harvest. We are all offered equally to God