Closed Doors

In the family-friendly suburbs where I grew up, there were no poor people lying at our door. But poor and disadvantaged people suffer at many doorsteps every day. They are the homeless we pass on street corners. They are families who are trapped in economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. They are young men and women who are treated with suspicion and violence because of the colour of their skin. They are the working poor who can't earn a living wage and take on three jobs to make ends meet. They are our elders, forgotten in nursing homes. There are many more I've left out. Are we like the rich man, stepping over poor all around us so we can get on with our own lives? If so, what will become of us? Look for safe ways to practice corporal works of mercy: make a chili for our provide a meal program, donate unwanted clothing and find ways to care for the sick.