REFLECTION: WELLSPRINGS: Spirituality in the Urban Jungle Be All to All
May I become at all times both now and forever. A protector for those without protection; A guide for those who have lost their way; A ship for those with oceans to cross; A bridge for those with rivers to cross; A sanctuary for those in danger; A lamp for those without light; A place of rugs for those who lack shelter; And a servent to all in need. The Dalai Lama;
Reflection: In his book Something Beautiful for God, Malcolm Muggeridge gives us Mother Theresa's first-person account of how she started caring for the poorest of the poor when she picked up the first woman from the street: "The woman was half eaten up by rats and ants. I took her to the hospital, but they could do nothing for her. They only took her because I refused to go hom unless something was done for her. After they cared for her, I went straight to the townhall and asked for a place where I could take these people, because that day I found more people dying in the street. The employye of health services broguht me to the temple of Kali and showed me the 'dormashalah' wherethe pilgrims used to rest after they worshipped the goddest Kali. The building was empty and he asked me if I wanted it. I was very glad with the offer for many reasons, but especially because it was the center of prayer for Hindus. Within 24 hours we brought our sick and suffering and started the Home for the Dying Destitutes."
Action: In your family, among friends, and at work place, there are those with different issues, problems, needs, and hungers. Can you be all to all to these people so that they can find their way through the jungles of life? In the wider world, in the neighborhood, city, country, and the world, many people have no protection or food or shelter or respect or love. Instead of looking at them amorphously, can you do something concrere, to begin with, to one or two people, like sponsoring a child in a poor contry or volunteering at a shelter home, a dining place, a hospital, or a prison?
