An often neglected teaching of Jesus demonstrates selflessness, caring about others, putting people before yourself, while simultaneously demonstrating an actual lack of attachment to money in a way where you can see the impact of your actions and the joy it brings in front of you. It helps reinforce your unity with others. This also demonstrates that you really care about others to the universe. The joy you feel when you see when helping others is undeniable.
While some people are fine with helping the poor and starving via non for profit organizations, that is definitely one way of helping the poor and starving, however the alternative of taking an afternoon to give people living on the street with a cardboard sign explaining their plight adds a very personal and direct element to helping the suffering and starving in a way that donating via organizations can’t replicate.
It also removes the potential element of donating/helping for the reciprocal benefit of a tax write off that just isn’t there when you donate to them directly or even buy them food from a local food vendor/cart selling food nearby. Theres no selfish component to it at all.
In an age where you won’t be able to donate to these suffering homeless on the street with cash in an increasingly cashless society, buying them a quick and easy meal may be your only option if you have no cash to donate.
Another terrific way to help them I’ve seen is people who have given the food they didn’t eat and carried out from a restaurant and handed it over to incredibly grateful homeless and hungry people. If you have food you ended up not liking, don’t feel bad taking it to go and handing it over to a suffering person on the street.
Another important benefit of sincerely helping out the poor is an opportunity to get better at not judging others, being sympathetic to them, and increasing your empathy towards your fellow brothers and sisters. Send them your blessings and love and ask the Holy Spirit to guide them recover from their suffering. Take out a twenty from an ATM, break it and hand a fives or ones to as many as you navigate busy streets, parks or the subways. Whatever budget your comfortable with. It’s also a great opportunity to practice not judging others, as you give to as many people as possible without discerning who deserves it more than the other. Treat everyone as your equals and remind yourself that we are all one as you perform this task. For those that need to read the explicit instructions from Jesus to help practice this oft neglected lesson from mainstream churches and preachers that should be practiced and encouraged more often, here are a few:
“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
— Matthew 5:42
“When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…”
— Matthew 6:3
“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
— Luke 3:11
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
— Luke 6:20
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
— Matthew 25:40
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”
— Luke 12:33
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them…”
— Matthew 9:36
Jesus didn’t just ask people to help the poor, he commanded it as central to living in alignment with God’s will. His focus was on love in action, not just belief in him or his words. His teachings required a change in one’s lifestyle not just a declaration that you now identify as a Christian. This is less than the bare minimum in following his teachings.
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