Sunday Rethink Homelessness Faith Blog- 11-3-2013 Text and Video by Joseph Buranosky from Catholic Charities of Central Florida We live in a nice part of the world where we are blessed for the most part with a pleasant climate and multiple venues that bring millions of people from all over the world to share what we have. We are home to “the happiest place on earth” and many of us quip about ”living in paradise”, yet so many of us who call Central Florida home are living on the margins of society . Central Florida vowed to solve the homeless problem within 10 years in 2008, but today an estimated 30,000 people in the region are still without a place to call home. Many hotels throughout our three counties have become a day to day shelter for so many families. Others come to us struggling to pay the rent so they can remain in their homes. Why? Orlando is home to so many food markets and restaurants, and agriculture has been an important piece of the economy, yet the Orlando area consistently ranks in the top 10 hungriest metropolitan areas in the country. So many of our Churches run food pantries, and all of our Catholic Charities regional offices run food pantries as well. I see evidence of hunger in our community every day; it is hard to keep the shelves stocked. Why? Florida has the nation’s second-highest rate of medically uninsured residents younger than 65 — a total of about 3.8 million people, or about 25 percent of the state’s population, including more than 500,000 younger than 19, according to U.S. Census data. I saw evidence of this as volunteer at Shepherd’s Hope for several years, and I see it in our own health clinics at Catholic Charities. Why? Homelessness, hunger and lack of adequate healthcare are just symptoms of a larger problem that confronts us in Central Florida – POVERTY! Nearly 1 in 5 of the people who live in Orange, Osceola and Seminole County can be classified as living in poverty. Why? The faith communities of Central Florida are consistent advocates for our brothers and sisters in need. Sacred Scripture outlines our responsibility for one another and should direct our response. That responsibility and our response to the community does not end when we walk out of the church after a Mass, a service or a bible study. The gospel calls us to action – to serve the poor, to lift them up, to advocate for justice, to work for the dignity of each person in the community. This is something we are called to do both individually and collectively in the Christian tradition as members of the Body of Christ. St Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church who lived in the 16th century wrote a beautiful reflection that sums up our role as people of faith: “Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” All of us are called to be people of action. Community implies a collective effort for the common good – we all must strive to gather everyone in. Let’s be about the Father’s work!
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 14:13:36 +0000
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