from the Balcony to the Catacombs

I descended from the balcony to the catacombs of the Church this week.  There are no catacombs, actually, but the basement rooms below the sanctuary have a “catacombic” ambiance.  In these rooms, which I understand housed wounded soldiers during the Civil War, are now vast arrays of donated clothing.   Twice a week the clothing closet is open to hundreds who come in need of good clothing.  Volunteers from a number of churches come to assist in an orderly and fair system of distribution of clothing to those in need.

I helped at the registration desk where there is a record of each person who utilizes the clothing closet.  Unfortunately, there are those few who will take advantage of the free clothes for resale or to stock a flea market booth.  The vast majority, however, are people who really need assistance.  They are courteous.  They are kind and respectful to the workers. And they truly seem grateful to those who attend their needs.

I met a family from the Dominican Republic who seemed to enjoy my rusty Spanish.  They were gracious and delighted that I would speak to them in their native tongue.  When they left, they said “que Dios le bendiga,” (may God bless you).  I surely felt that God had blessed me.

I was reminded that the poor are not too different from me. They have families.  They feel stress.  They laugh and cry.  They feel good some days and bad some days.   And I saw myself in the face of Jabal, who waited for his wife and mother-in-law to finish shopping.  He confessed, after about an hour, that he was getting tired of waiting for the women to finish their shopping.  “Why is it,” Jabal asked, “that women take so much longer to shop than men?”   I chuckled knowing that I had probably asked my wife the same question.  “We men know what we want, go in, buy it, and we’re done,” Jabal said.  I nodded sympathetically.

I admit that I enjoyed my descent from the balcony to the clothing closet, and think I’ll do it more often.  I suspect my perspective from the balcony will forever be affected by my excursions to the catacombs.