Catholic Info

Traditional Catholic Faith => Catholic Living in the Modern World => Topic started by: Matto on August 06, 2019, 09:21:41 AM

Title: A Homeles Man
Post by: Matto on August 06, 2019, 09:21:41 AM
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My father was kind enough to take me to Mass at St. Christopher's on Sunday but he did not attend the Mass himself. He went to a museum with exhibits on Walt Whitman and Where the Wild Things Are.

Before Mass we went to Holy Innocents on west 37th st to light a candle. I lit a candle in front of the statue of St. Lucy with golden eyes. I gave a dollar and prayed for the restoration of Julian's eyesight and for general intentions. Then we went to Saint Agnes on east 43rd st. My father sat down in a pew during Mass and I went over to the statue of "The Little Flower" and put in 2 dollars. I lit a candle, a real candle, not an electric light, and prayed for whatever intentions the Blessed Mother had in mind. It was a good day.

After prayer was over there was a street fair where they were buying and selling (on Sunday, not good [though perhaps they were just pretending to buy and sell, you can never be too sure]. ) and they had music. There was a band with a saxophone and they were playing "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. Google told me it was written by Roger Waters.

While listening to the music a seemingly homeless man with the prettiest blue eyes, like Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, came up to me and asked for some food. I was feeling generous, so I gave him my leftover half of a sandwich and french fries I had from when my father and I ate lunch at Scotty's Diner (on Lexington Avenue) after Mass. I hope he enjoyed it. Giving food to the poor beggar was like giving a tithe to Christ. Help out however you can. They say you shouldn't give homeless men money because they will spend it on drugs or alcohol or cigarettes. But you can give them their daily bread. They say Saint Francis would only eat the black hard crusts of bread that people would give him, but to him that was the finest of delicacies as "Lady Poverty" was the most beautiful woman. To me the most beautiful woman in the world is probably Cecilia. She is really pretty. I met her at Church.

Saint Martin of Porres, pray for us.
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Ladislaus on August 06, 2019, 11:18:29 AM
They say you shouldn't give homeless men money because they will spend it on drugs or alcohol or cigarettes.

I don't buy that.  It's on them what they spend the money on.  I have no issues giving them money.  If they misuse it, then it's on them.  And so what if they buy cigarettes?
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Matto on August 06, 2019, 02:05:49 PM
I don't buy that.  It's on them what they spend the money on.  I have no issues giving them money.  If they misuse it, then it's on them.  And so what if they buy cigarettes?
Yes, I agree, it is just that I was told not to give them money, but I do not understand why. I thought it was illegal to give them money on the subway (or perhaps it was illegal to ask for money on the subway). I know so little about the law considering that my father is a lawyer.
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Syracuse on August 06, 2019, 02:34:49 PM
One time I saw a man with a homemade sign "Vietnam Vet will work for food" at an intersection. I soon approached him with a big of oranges and asked him if he'd be at the same spot at the same time the next day. I told him I'd bring him a job application. He said "yes". The next day he wasn't there. A few days later I saw him at the next intersection about a mile down the highway with the same sign.
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Quo vadis Domine on August 06, 2019, 04:05:49 PM
Very many supposed “homeless” people make a very good living pan handling. I have given them money in the past, but I don’t anymore. Not too long ago, I gave one fellow, who looked truly needy, a whole cooked chicken. His reply was, with a big smile, “now we’re talking!”
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Syracuse on August 06, 2019, 07:53:57 PM
For also when we were with you, this we declared to you: that, if any man will not work, neither let him eat.  - 2 Thessalonians 3:10
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Seraphina on August 08, 2019, 02:21:26 AM
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My father was kind enough to take me to Mass at St. Christopher's on Sunday but he did not attend the Mass himself. He went to a museum with exhibits on Walt Whitman and Where the Wild Things Are.

Before Mass we went to Holy Innocents on west 37th st to light a candle. I lit a candle in front of the statue of St. Lucy with golden eyes. I gave a dollar and prayed for the restoration of Julian's eyesight and for general intentions. Then we went to Saint Agnes on east 43rd st. My father sat down in a pew during Mass and I went over to the statue of "The Little Flower" and put in 2 dollars. I lit a candle, a real candle, not an electric light, and prayed for whatever intentions the Blessed Mother had in mind. It was a good day.

After prayer was over there was a street fair where they were buying and selling (on Sunday, not good [though perhaps they were just pretending to buy and sell, you can never be too sure]. ) and they had music. There was a band with a saxophone and they were playing "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. Google told me it was written by Roger Waters.

While listening to the music a seemingly homeless man with the prettiest blue eyes, like Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, came up to me and asked for some food. I was feeling generous, so I gave him my leftover half of a sandwich and french fries I had from when my father and I ate lunch at Scotty's Diner (on Lexington Avenue) after Mass. I hope he enjoyed it. Giving food to the poor beggar was like giving a tithe to Christ. Help out however you can. They say you shouldn't give homeless men money because they will spend it on drugs or alcohol or cigarettes. But you can give them their daily bread. They say Saint Francis would only eat the black hard crusts of bread that people would give him, but to him that was the finest of delicacies as "Lady Poverty" was the most beautiful woman. To me the most beautiful woman in the world is probably Cecilia. She is really pretty. I met her at Church.

Saint Martin of Porres, pray for us.
Very strange!  Many years ago, 1995?  I met a homeless man of the same description begging for food with a sign in the same place, E. 43 St. outside of St. Agnes.  I walked past, ignoring him, but when I got to Lexington Ave., I couldn’t shake the thought that I was supposed to give him food.  I went into a deli and bought two different lunches, a chicken sandwich and a tuna sandwich, a banana and an apple, a pack of chocolate chip cookies and a bag of Doritos, a can of Coke and 7-Up.  I returned, half expecting him to be gone, but he was still there, sitting down against the church doors which were chained shut.  His sign was lying beside him.  I asked, “Are you the man who wanted food?” because his sign was face down.  He perked up and replied, “Yes, could you please spare something, Miss?”  I gave him his choice of lunch, explaining that one was for him, the other for me.  He seemed pretty amazed, and took the chicken, the banana, the Coke, and the cookies.  I felt inspired to sit and eat with him, which I did.  He told me he was from Wisconsin and had been on the street for about five years.  He’d run first from his mother’s boyfriend who was violent.  He’d been placed in a few foster homes and then in a boy’s facility for shoplifting.  He was supposed to go to juvenile court, but he’d taken off and come to New York.  He thought he was 21 or 22, but he wasn’t sure.  The last year had been bad because he shot up some heroin.  He’d been clean since the Spring and he was waiting to see about Catholic Charities getting him a bed in the shelter.  He told me his name was Jason.  He also had striking blue eyes.  I recall that distinctly.  I left him with a little cash, and we went our separate ways, me to the train uptown, Jason to Catholic Charities.  
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Matto on August 08, 2019, 06:05:44 AM
1995? 21, or 22? It is 2019, so that was about 24 years ago. 21 + 24 = 45. So he would be around 45 to 46 years old. If that was his age, Jason looked very young. To survive on the streets of New York for so long, one would have to be a saint. There is a man who I think is a saint who used to live in a boat (perhaps he still does). His nick-name was "Lifeboat Louie". He went to jail many times for fighting abortion. He was the kind of man who would give up his own life to save you from drowning. I thought he was a good Catholic. He would go to all different kinds of Catholic Masses. He was not a traditionalist, but he thought us traditionalists were indeed Catholic and he would talk to us. He ate brunch with us once, and once he came to our chapel and I thought he received the Holy Eucharist.

Lifeboat talked to me and gave me pro-life literature, prayers to Our Mother and some pictures he had drawn (the first time I went out to lunch with the Saint Christopher's Mission crowd at the "Gemini Diner"). It was because of Divine Providence that he knew we were there, as I never told him I would be there.

Tom says the priest at Holy Innocents, Fr. Miara, is a good man. He says the priest at my local parish, Father Henue, is a good man as well. Tom knows more about the Church than anyone else I know. But he is alone. He has no family and he has cancer. He relies on everyone else to take care of him. I love him so so much and he is kind to me, perhaps because I love him and he loves me.

"Whenever the sunshine comes through
Whenever my thoughts turn to you
Whatever you want me to do
I will be there"
(Van Morrison, 1972)

Lifeboat: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/nyregion/anchored-to-the-water.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/nyregion/anchored-to-the-water.html)
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: confederate catholic on August 08, 2019, 02:53:27 PM
I know lifeboat, the name is his prison name from operation rescue days. All had a name originally to know who was with OR and prevent you from giving info to the wrong person. God bless him I didn't know he was still alive
Title: Re: A Homeles Man
Post by: Nadir on August 08, 2019, 09:01:26 PM
I know lifeboat, the name is his prison name from operation rescue days. All had a name originally to know who was with OR and prevent you from giving info to the wrong person. God bless him I didn't know he was still alive
If he is still alive, he must be 77. God bless him