Transformational Relationships

I have always had a materialistic approach to ministry. To quote his Holiness, Pope Francis, “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. This is how prayer works.” To be the hands and feet of Christ in the world has been and continues to be foundational to my sense of call and ministry as a baptized Christian and a priest.

As the Body of Christ, the church, we are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned and to bury the dead. The Works of Mercy, as they are known, are central to our identity. We are to help heal a broken world and to help enact the Kingdom of God in the here and now, even if it is only a little bit each day.

As the church seeks to transform the lives of those that come to it for help, it begs the question, “How is the church being transformed providing such help?” While serving at the Fellowship Center I have had the opportunity to develop relationships with many of the guests. But the most profound impact of my service at the Fellowship Center came when a guest invited me to prayer. As we stood shoulder to shoulder in the sanctuary praying for the world and its concerns, for peace, and an end to hunger, there came that moment when I would normally begin to interject prayers for my friend. But then, the most remarkable thing occurred. He began to pray for me instead. It was at that moment I realized he didn’t want me to pray for him, but wanted me to pray with him.

Since that day, each time when we see each other he brings me prayer cards, books to read and pictures of various saints. I pressed him that he needed not to do this, I was happy to volunteer and help. He answered me, “You spend your time taking care of others, but who takes care of you? If you don’t mind, I think I would like to do that job.”

Much as the disciples came to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread on the road to Emmaus, my friend and I have come to know Jesus, not just through service but also in each other. Through sharing a meal and prayer together, we have been mutually transformed by the experience. The transformation occurred not through a power dynamic of me serving him, but rather through a relationship of mutual comfort and support.

Transformation of our guests and of our volunteers does not occur when there is a counter separating us from those in need. Transformation occurs when we greet each other on the way to Emmaus, when we walk with each other along the journey, when we break bread together and we come to know Christ in each other during these moments.

Coming to the Fellowship Center no longer is a time to volunteer. Rather it has become a time be fed while feeding others.

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