THURSDAY OF THE THIRTEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle

Dear Father:

I was thinking today about two scriptures that typifies how we should be as Christians. Yes these two scriptures are among the most ignored by us Christians.

The first is the passage about how we should be careful in treating strangers because we could be entertaining an angel and not know it.

The second is the passage where Jesus says, "As you do to the poor and hungry, you do unto me".

Both these passages remind us that Christ is found in each of us thus we must be careful because as we avoid the unlovable, or turn our backs on the lowly, or treat badly a stranger, we ARE doing that to Christ.

The Hindu's have a great idea to help themselves remember the "god within". The Hindu bow to each other. This is not really a gesture of respect to the person they meet, rather it is the recognition of the god within the soul of the person they meet. Thus they are, in essence, bowing to God.

We as Christians believe that the Holy Spirit indwells us. Thus why do we not bow to each other when we meet. If I meet you and I not only meeting YOU, but the Holy Spirit within you.

Demons certainly understand this. One time, early in my Deliverance Ministry, I was invited to a person's house to secretly "evaluate" a friend of the host. The host thought the friend might be demonized. The friend was not told who I was or what I did. She was not even told that I was a Christian.

When I came into the room this person got up from her chair in the middle of the room and positioned herself in the farthest corner of the room OPPOSITE to where I was. She was extremely uncomfortable around me. Although the woman did not know me from Adam, the demons within her sure recognized the Holy Spirit within me and wanted to get as far away as possible.

The living God dwells within us and even the demons take notice. Yet we Christians SHOULD notice this and do not. We can never know if we entertain an angel unawares.

I am usually the type of person who gives freely to people on the street. I know that often these pan-handlers may be "pros" and perhaps make 20K - 30K a year pan-handling. I know that others may use the money for drugs or alcohol. But this does not matter in terms of our Christian responsibility as Good Samaritans. I cannot know "for sure" that the money will be misspent and besides with every quarter I give or dollar I give goes a prayer for them. Charity even toward a person one suspects is a swindler is still charity and our good works could inspire the person to repent.

This one day, however, I was coming out of the grocery store. There was a man in the parking lot asking for money. This was not a place that pan-handlers usually asked for money. In fact this was the first time I had every seen anyone beg for money at this store parking lot.

I did not have much money on me, only some pocket change, but for some reason I did not give the man that pocket change. I got in my car and left.

As I pulled away I saw the man looking at me and as I continued toward the exit of the parking lot it hit me: "take care for you may entertain angels unaware."

BUSTED!

I was just given a test by God and I failed. I walked by His angel and did not extend charity. I knew this before I hit the exit of the parking lot and what's even worse, I did not turn around and go back to give him a few coins.

I do not know whether this man was a man, or if he was an actual angel. It does not matter. This was a man who was God's child, a man in apparent need, and I, with money in my pocket and with very little need in my life at that time, passed him by.

How often do we pass by God's angels and fail to extend that itsy-bitsy charity that costs so little?

I failed that test and ten years later it still haunts me.

Lord help me to be all you want me to be. Help me to never turn away a person in need. Help me to never again pass your angel by. Amen.

Your miserable servant,
Brother Bubba

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