Living Catholic
- Rob McCann, Executive Director
One of the meanings of the word catholic is “including or concerning all humankind; universal.” That’s one of the things I like about being Catholic. I appreciate the way I was brought up to believe that all humans contain a spark of divinity, and that it is my privilege and obligation to nurture that spark in whoever crosses my path. I’m not saying I always do it; but it’s the ideal I was taught, the ideal I believe in, the one that, when I’m at my best, guides my actions. It’s one of the guiding principles behind our work at Catholic Charities, which is one of many reasons I love being here.
Goethe said, “If you treat an individual… as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” It’s an interesting notion. Do you think people rise to the expectations we hold for them? If you treat a person as if he’s better than your experience might indicate, does that very treatment change the dynamic in a way that gives him more room to grow? If indeed we do each have a spark of divinity within us, it only makes sense to respond to that spark, to treat it as if it’s an incipient flame. Who knows what fire might begin blazing?
Living Catholic is something I was born and baptized into. Does this mean it is a way of life that I live consciously? Well, I often do have to make a conscious effort to remember to look for the spark of “divinity” in others. As I make my daily commute I often pass pan handlers at some of the stop lights I encounter. I tell myself that I cannot give to all of them so I give to none. But the pang of guilt never goes away. Yesterday however, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with one when he approached my car at a Wendy’s restaurant. He waited patiently outside my door while I ended my fake cell phone call which I thought might make him go away. So I opened the door and asked him what was up. He asked for some money for food. I had just been to the bank and knew I had a couple of 20’s in my wallet. I pulled one out and said this was all I had and asked him if he was really going to go into Wendy’s and get food with it. He said, “Maybe”. Then we got into a conversation about the House of Charity,(I had asked him if he had used their services),he mentioned he had just been there and they kicked him out because he made a comment about drugs. We talked some more and he said he was trying to apply for housing and that he has used Catholic Charities help in the past. Our conversation lasted about 15 minutes and we ended up walking into Wendy’s together. I do not know why I was drawn to this young man but for those 15 minutes I felt a connection with him and I feel that the time I gave to him, to listening to his plight and his plans was just as important as giving him the 20 dollar bill. I told him to promise me he would use it for food and not for drugs. He said ok. Did he do that? I will never know but I looked for a spark of divinity in him and maybe, just maybe, his burden was lighter because I took the time to look for it.