The Greatest Poverty in America
The are an estimated 6,880 homeless people in Denver, Colorado. Yet, we live in a society where there are a multitude of resources including social assistance programs, unemployment services, and shelters such as the Samaritan House pictured above. In fact, there is another shelter, Denver Rescue Mission, just across the street. The means to live a stable life are there and highly accessible, so how can this be?
The truth of the matter is that the poverty here in America, the second wealthiest country in the world, is not a poverty of material needs but a poverty of relationship.
Mother Teresa is quoted for saying this after visiting the United States.
There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.
I witnessed this firsthand while serving in the Samaritan House in Denver. Even though participants had a place to stay and a meal to eat, you could see the worry, hopelessness, fear, and longing on their faces. After serving meals in the kitchen, we would eat with the participants in the dining area. Often times it almost seemed strange for these people to be here. Most were not much different that myself. We read the same books, enjoyed and shared the same music. Conversation came as natural as it did at a bar or the checkout register. At times though, there would be a break in conversation and you could see the deepest wounds of their hearts if only for a moment.
On day four, we had the opportunity to serve with Christ in The City. We served lunch in the park and got to meet many of our friends on the street. Once again, they came from all walks of life and had such deep and rich stories of life, love, and loss. Encountering the poor in this way was especially difficult because afterwards they would return to the streets and I to my bed. I knew I would probably never see them again. However, two days later we had been given a free hour to go to a coffee shop and rest. As we were walking back to the Samaritan house, we encountered one of our friends again and it was an absolute joy! His face lit up and so did ours. We called him by name and he shared with us how his day was going.
In the time spent in prayer and reflection, I became acutely aware of my own poverty. I was now 25 years old working a good job and pursing much in life. Yet, I came home to an empty apartment, I spent most nights in bars and dancehalls where every encounter was of a temporal nature, and I had much weighing on my heart and mind that was unspoken.
That is the heart of it all. To be know, seen, and loved. In each of these encounters, the moment that we took to learn their names, to know their story, and most of all to love them was when they became truly fulfilled. That is what we all long for. That is what happens when we are in relationship with the Father.
Ways You Can Serve the Poor
- Volunteer at your local food bank or soup kitchen
- Put together care packages with toiletries and snacks to hand out
- Hand out gift cards to fast food restaurants
- Donate clothes and items to Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul
- Support Christ in the City, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, or another charity with a monthly tithe
Be sure to also ask them for their name and tell them yours too!
Joseph Mohr is a Catholic, Athlete, Craftsman, Writer, Stoic, and, most importantly, a Floral Enthusiast. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2019 with a B.S. in Human Geography but quickly became an aspiring polymath. He currently works as a data analyst in the urban planning sector and runs The Night Watch, his personal brand dedicated to fighting the good fight. In his spare time, he enjoys studying art, architecture, cartography, psychology, and language, and is a lover of running, lifting, drawing, camping & hiking and Texas Two-Stepping.
