EASTER 2012

The Little Way

A NEW HOUSE TO LEARN TO SHARE Mac Stewart
Friends share things. This is one of those elementary life lessons. We discover that sharing things often brings about friendship. A stranger shares a meal with me, and before I know it, I am sitting at his bedside as he fights an illness. We also discover that friendship tends to move us to want to share things. My friend loves to cook, and so he is always looking for an opportunity to share his delicious culinary creations with me. Sharing is what makes friendship possible, and friendship is what makes sharing sweet. Our homeless and formerly homeless friends have taught us much about friendship and much about sharing. As much as I tell myself that sharing creates friendship and that friendship elicits sharing, I still feel far too often that primal urge deep within me to say mine! This is my space, my money, my project, my time. And so I receive quite a jolt when I hear that a man who sleeps in a tent offered to make some room for a friend of his, who had no place to go, to sleep there with him. (cont. p. 5)

Panhandling you, for Gods sake Colin Miller

There is a famous story told about St. Francis, near the beginning of his conversion, in which he is approached by a beggar who asks him for money, as was customary, for Gods sake. At first, Francis turned away, despising the man. He was struck, however, in a fresh way, with the utterly mundane phrase for Gods sake. So, led by penitence he began to say to himself that it was a great reproach and shame to deny the request of one asking in the name of so great a King. And then he settled it in his heart that he would, according to his power, never in the future deny anything to any one asking him for the sake of God. up front, to please send us some, and please give generously, to support the hospitality housefor Gods sake. As I write this column, on May 15th, we have about $300 in our bank account. I still owe our graciously forbearing landlords the $995 that was due May 1st. There will be electric and gas bills upcoming. There will be costs for the August 1st move, including a $900 pet deposit for our two dogs, Roscoe and Sammie, and Gray, the cat. And then we will have the $2400 monthly rent for the new place to take care of. And there are always unforeseen odds and ends, not least that I like to be able to give our residents a $10 or $20 spot from time to time to spend on themselves. Begging is a very Franciscan topic, and so We have freely received; we would like to I want to write about begging in the Chris- freely give. tian life. But the fact that I want to write about begging is not disinterested. I came I once asked one of my friends who to the idea for this column from the fact does a lot of panhandling what he that I know that I need to beg the readers of thought about public ordinances that The Little Way for money. So let me ask, banned the practice. (cont. p 3)

DOROTHY DAY

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T HE LI T T LE WA Y

EASTER 2012

Fellowship with Beggars

(The Rev.) Rhonda Lee

My favorite story about C.S. Lewis has him walking with a friend along an Oxford street one late afternoon. A man approached the pair and asked them for money. Interrupting himself in mid-sentence, Lewis emptied his pockets into the hands of the stranger, who went away delighted. Aghast, Lewis companion sputtered, You know, hes only going to spend your money on drink. Lewis calm reply: Very likely. But you know, if I had kept it, I would only have spent it on drink. Even if Lewis had never written the Narnia books, which I have enjoyed for decades now, I would love him for that honest statement. It shows that by the grace of God, Lewis had moved beyond the myth of individualism that tells us that the contents of our pocketsor purses, or bank or brokerage accountsare ours alone; that we have earned them through our own effort; and that we know best how to dispose of them. He showed neither contempt for the man who begged from him as a lazy so-andso who should get a job and earn the right to enjoy a pint at the end of the day; nor pity for him as one so desperate for a drink that he might spend Lewis gift in the pub rather than at the grocery store. Lewis didnt set himself up as the strangers judge, to boost his own self-image in the process. He simply treated the beggar as a fellow child of Godwho might well be a fellow connoisseur of beer and spiritswho needed something Lewis was able to give. And his action was only possible because the man had first done Lewis the favor of treating him as some-

one who might see his request for what it was: an invitation to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The two mens interaction was grace-filled in its simplicity, an amusing enactment of Jesus instruction to Give to everyone who begs from you (Matthew 5:42, Luke 6:30). I think of C.S. Lewis sometimes when someone I dont know asks me for money on the street. If I have money in my purse or pockets, Ill usually give some of it away. On those occasions when I dont, I offer a word and what I intend as a kind look (although I realize the beggar may not interpret it that way, and I cant blame them). And then I ask Gods forgiveness. I think of Lewis, too, when I drop off groceries and beer at the hospitality house on Ninth Street. Like most of my brothers there, I enjoy a drink with friends, which is why I often include beer on my shopping list for the house. But not only has it been too long since I took some groceries over there, its been far too long since I sat on the porch and drank a beer, or coffee, or iced tea with the guys. Thats the invitation from Jesus that Ive been missing out on lately: not simply to transfer some of the gifts God has given me to another of his children, but to enjoy them together, in the fellowship that God intends for all of us. This summer would be a great time to accept that gracious offer. Maybe some of you will join me.+

EASTER 2012

T HE LI T T LE WA Y

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THE CHURCH SPEAKS

"Never underestimate the power of welcome to heal, to liberate, to reconcile, to renew, to restore, and to open up the door to new futures and new possibilities." The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry Bishop of North Carolina

Panhandling You, cont.

He told me that they need to get educated about panhandling. After a pause he asked, Who dont panhandle? My suspicion is he meant that begging is something inherent to what humans are always doing, and that in the last analysis, whatever kind of begging we do, it is not fundamentally different than what he does on the corner of 9th and Main when he asks people for their spare change. We are all beggars, in other words, and so to outlaw his practice and not yours is simply to strong-arm those who cannot do it in the right way. I think that begging is, in various different ways, an essential part of the gospel. Jesus seems to have talked about it a good deal. He said in the Sermon on the Mount that you should give to whomever begs from you (Mathew 5:42), and he encouraged us to beg for what you need (Luke 11:9-10). Indeed, in the prayer that makes up the center of our liturgical life, we beg God to give us today our daily bread. In greater depth in subsequent issues of The Little Way, I want to say something of what I see as the Gospels beggar-economy. I offer this as a conversation, and welcome others to tell me what you think, in the spirit of our founder Peter Maurins clarification of thought. Begging is a theme that forces us to rethink, and try to re-live, some of our most deeply held, and often unconscious, convictions about ourselves. But, at the end of the day, I think the words we often say at the Offertory forms a base from which we might begin our considerations: All things come of thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given thee. God will give us what we need for our new house when we need it; I have no anxieties about that. When I do have anxieties about that, it is good for me. Sharing the precarious situation of the poor, even in this small way, as Dorothy Day wrote, is a council of the Gospel, because it brings us a taste of the poverty of Christ. Nevertheless, we have to beg. Another miracle, please, St. Joseph. And this miracle may involve sacrifice on your part. Please partner with us. We feel entitled to nothing, and yet hope for everything. Donations can be made in one-time gifts or in pledges, and checks can be sent and made out to St. Josephs Episcopal Church Hospitality Fund (1902 W Main St., Durham, NC, 27705). In-kind gifts are also welcome, and please simply contact the community to sort out the details. We are ever-grateful for our current benefactors, as well as for the prayers and good will of those who cannot contribute materially. Got any change, for Gods sake?+

An Easter Vigil Sermon... Colin Miller

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Fear chokes and crushes our world. Most of what we do is motivated by it. But when God raised Jesus from the dead, he defeated fear, and set free those enslaved to fear. The resurrection of Jesus is our divine insurance policy. It is his promise that hes got our backs. It is our only hope of living without fear. We are choked and crushed by fear, and so we buy all kinds of insurance policies. We buy insurance policies because we want someone to have our backs. We want to know someones got our back, because we want to not be afraid. Insurance cannot defeat fear. But when God raised Jesus from the dead, the first thing he said was do not be afraid. The only insurance that defeats fear is the resurrection. Its Gods promise that, when we follow Jesus to Good Friday, hes got our back. And we need only fear Good Friday if what we celebrate tonight is a lie. The Church believes in the resurrection, and so we can live fearlessly. But the Church must also live fearlessly, in order to believe in the resurrection. Many cannot believe in the resurrection, because they cannot see lives that show what that belief looks like. We will know what the Creed means when we do it and not just say it. There is no reason to hold insurance you are never going to need. We will need the resurrection when we begin to live dangerously. We will begin to believe in the resurrection when we begin to practice it. Help us, Risen Christ, to live lives that show you are risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen.+

...And a Response

Meredith Stewart

For much of early America history, benevolence societies were the primary way people sought to protect themselves against loss of property or ability to earn an income. Local groups of people contributed to a common fund and withdrew from that fund when they experienced difficulties or loss. In the mid1830s, a shift occurred. Insurance companies spread from local communities to regional, national, and international entities and began to focus on each members relative risk and exclude undesirable members. No longer were societies made up of individuals, but rather they became lines on actuarial tables. I suspect that this change came because people desired to insulate themselves and their businesses, not only from the risk of loss or financial difficulties for their families upon their death, but also from the experience of the misfortunes of others. I understand this impulse to insulation, so Colin's Easter homily comes as a challenge to me. I find comfort in the orderliness of insurance, a cushion against theft and loss, but also against becoming involved in the challenges of others. The problem with this feeling is that it is contrary to the call of the Gospel, a Gospel which calls us to shared suffering and joy and doesnt seek to evaluate an individuals riskiness before calling him or her to faithfulness and community. Those in the ancient world practiced another form of insurance. When undertaking dangerous sea voyages, merchants would spread out their cargo among the ships such that if one was lost, no one merchant would suffer ruin. That strikes me as the kind of insurance that the resurrection calls us to practice. Rather than paying to insulate ourselves against loss, we entrust ourselves and our possessions to other members of the Church, especially the poor, trusting in the nail-pierced palms of Christ, rather than the good hands of Allstate.+

The Little Way of the Holy Spirit

By Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. [Taken from The Ascent to Truth (Abbey of our Lady of Gethesemany, 1951), 185-6.]

It is very important to realize that the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, by means of the seven Gifts, are generally not at all spectacular or dramatic either in their object or in their mode of activity. After reading the lives of the saints and the experiences of the mystics, some people become convinced that the mystical life must be something like a Wagnerian opera. Tremendous things keep happening all the time. Every new motion of the spirit is heralded by thunder and lightening. The heavens crack open and the soul sails upward out of the body into a burst of unearthly and splendid light. There it comes face to face with God, in the midst of a huge Turnverein of flying, singing, trumpet-playing saints and angels. There is an eloquent exchange of view between the soul and God in an operatic duet that lasts at least seven hours, for seven is a mystical number. All this is punctuated by earthquakes, solar and lunar eclipses, and the explosion of supersubstantial bombs. Eventually, after a brief musical preview of the end of the world and the Last Judgment, the soul pirouettes gracefully back into the body and the mystic comes to himself to discover that he is surrounded by a hushed, admiring circle of fellow religious, including one or two who are surreptitiously taking down notes of the event in view of some future process of canonization. It is generally safe to say that noise and turmoil in the interior life are signs of inspiration that proceed from our own emotion or from some spirit that is anything but holy. The inspirations of the Holy Ghost are quiet, for God speaks in the silent depths of the spirit. His voice brings peace. It does not arouse excitement, but allays it because excitement belongs to uncertainty. The voice of God is certitude. If He moves us to action, we go forward with peaceful strength. More often than not His inspirations teach us to sit still. They show us the emptiness and the confusion of projects we thought we had undertaken for His glory. He saves us from the impulses that would throw us into wild competition with other men. He delivers us from ambition. The Holy Spirit is most easily recognized where He inspires obedience and humility. No one really knows Him who has not tasted the tranquility that come with the renunciation of our own will, our own pleasure, our own interests, without glory, without notice, without approval, for the interests of some other person. The inspirations of the Spirit of God are not grandiose. They are simple. They move us to seek God in works that are difficult without being spectacular. They lead us in paths that are happy because they are obscure. +
A HOUSE TO SHARE, cont. Or when another man who has long lived off the generosity of others and who scrupulously shares everything he has asks me, Why do people try to have more than they need? The poor arent necessarily better people than the rest of us, but it sure seems like many of them know better than I do about the costs of friendship and the joys of sharing. Our little community of friends has a very exciting transition coming up. In August, the Hospitality House will be moving to a new location a few blocks from the current house. The new house is much bigger (eight bedrooms in all), which means that we get to try something new. A handful of us will be moving into the new house to live with our friends from the current house. Those of us who are able to contribute to house expenses (rent, etc.) will do so, and those who cant will contribute to our community in other ways. People have asked me what our goal is in this little adventure. Though we are hesitant to call what we are doing a project with some clear goal, the best answer we might give to that question goes something like this. Jesus said, No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for ones friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. We believe that God in Christ has made us his friends by sharing his own life with us. We want to learn to be better friends of God. We have seen that those friends of ours who are poor seem to know quite a lot about what it takes to be good friends. Add all this up, and we conclude that the best way to learn to be friends of God is to learn to share life Not Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove with Gods dearest friends the poor.+

THE LITTLE WAY

Editors: Colin Miller, Elizabeth Costello, Joseph Wolyniak, Mac Stewart, JR Rigby, Luke Wetzel, Natalie Wetzel, Andrew Nelson, Meredith Stewart. The Rev. Canon Catherine Caimano, Abbot. For information about the community or to get involved, please contact us: Phone: 763.355.2648 E-mail: miller.douglas.colin@gmail.com Current Want List Money (for rent, utilities, food, etc.) Food Donations (eggs, cheese, meat, beans, pasta, canned prepared or frozen foods) Monetary donations for the hospitality house are received by: St. Josephs Episcopal Church Hospitality Fund1902 W Main St., Durham, NC 27705. To make non-monetary gifts please call or email.

The Little Way is a pamphlet of a diffuse but emerging Episcopal Christian Community in Durham, North Carolina, that seeks a life of prayer, study, simplicity, and fellowship with the poor. We stand in the tradition of the Catholic Worker Movement founded in 1933 by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day. Our work currently consists of this publication and a small hospitality house feeding and sheltering three residents and drop-ins. Many of us pray Morning and Evening Prayer, and support a daily breakfast fellowship, at a local church, St. Josephs. Rent, food and utilities for the hospitality house are paid entirely on donations. Funds are always used directly for the performance of the Works of Mercy, and no one in the community draws any salary or other benefits.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy To instruct the uninformed To counsel the doubtful To admonish sinners To bear wrongs patiently To forgive offenses willingly To comfort the afflicted To pray for the living and the dead

The Corporal Works of Mercy To feed the hungry To give drink to the thirsty To clothe the naked To harbor the harborless To visit the sick To ransom the captive To bury the dead