Bridge Building
There’s a little German poem,
“Die Menschen bauen / zu viele Mauern / und zu wenig Bruecken.” Translated
it means, “People build too many walls, and too few bridges.” These days people
are bitterly divided by so many things: politics, race, religion, social class,
place of residence, and so on. The divisions are heartbreaking and seem
impossible to overcome. But you probably know a few people or institutions that
bridge these walls. We need to follow their examples and look for every
opportunity to find common ground with those who are different from us. Jesus
himself demonstrated that approach many times in his life, once with the Samaritan
woman at the well, and at the end of his life when he blessed the so-called “Good
Thief.” A first step is to look for the goodness in all people and find
programs and people that are bridging these walls.
One place many St. Mary’s [Painesville, Ohio] parishioners
have found common ground is in our Karpos Ministry to the homeless and hungry.
This ministry is now in its 5th year and feeds more than 100 people
every Wednesday and Thursday evening. The volunteers are not all St. Mary parishioners.
Some of the key volunteers are not Catholics. The entire political spectrum is
represented, and there is ethnic and racial diversity among volunteers. Ages
range from school children supervised by their parents to a man in his mid 70s,
who comes from a neighboring parish. The Karpos volunteers have a common mission
and their commonalities are much more compelling than their differences. In the
end, the Karpos volunteers love one another and show the Love of the Lord to
the homeless and hungry that they serve. Living out the Works of Mercy has
helped Karpos build bridges, to each other, and to the poor among us. Examples
like Karpos are all around and show us a way toward bridging the terrible and
dangerous walls found in our world.
[From time to time I'll try to write about people and institutions bridging the great divides in our world.]
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