This summer, I attended a religious social justice retreat called the Salesian Gospel Roads in Toronto with thirty eight other youth and young adults. Months before, I would fundraise with other youth by selling food after mass to the parishioners, during which I believed that my purpose was to serve with the heart of a missionary. I concluded that sacrifice was necessary. I expected to be serving God through the faces of the poor. However, my experience in Toronto was unlike any expectation I conceived.
On the third day, we embarked on a backpack run which is when you make sandwiches for handing out on the streets to those who need food. Since it was my first backpack run, I had no expectations other than providing food for the less fortunate. The day started off indifferently, simply handing sandwich from one person to another with no deeper connection shared. Soon our feet led our group to an impecunious neighbourhood with a dingy park. It was still early in the morning and many of the people were asleep littered across the infamous park. Along the park was a colourful, attracting mural, despite the melancholic atmosphere. A young woman was leaning against the painted mural. She was sitting on grass while using a wide cardboard sheet as a blanket. Oblivious to us, I gravitated towards her and grabbed a sandwich and water for her. With a swollen face from bug bites, she looked up at me as I offered the sandwich. The moment she acknowledged my presence, the most uplifting expression crept her face. It was a soft angelic smile, but her facial expression showed her appreciation and loving heart more than words could express. Truly, I saw Christ through someone else's face. A simple act of providing a meal allowed me to see the face of Christ that I was unfamiliar with.
That moment made me realize that waking up to food in the cupboards every morning is a true blessing. I came to understand that the mission field is no longer just "out there,” but "right here.” Many of us, alike, suffer from some form of poverty. Whether our struggle is financial, emotional or spiritual poverty, almost everyone deals with it. Through my interaction with the woman that day, I became aware of my spiritual poverty. She was able to give me what I lacked. Not once in the preceding weeks did I feel that I was sacrificing myself and giving to those with financial poverty. The woman that day gave me more than what I gave her.
At the retreat, we were never given a schedule or any information on missions we were to embark on for the day. Whenever I asked what was happening subsequently, they would tell us to "participate, not anticipate!" Through the woman I encountered at the park, I realized that to grow out of my spiritual poverty I needed to participate in charitable acts for Christ instead of waiting for Him to help me.
[This reflection is written by Elaine Baluyut, one of the youth missionaries who attended Salesians Gospel Roads 2014 in Toronto.]
On the third day, we embarked on a backpack run which is when you make sandwiches for handing out on the streets to those who need food. Since it was my first backpack run, I had no expectations other than providing food for the less fortunate. The day started off indifferently, simply handing sandwich from one person to another with no deeper connection shared. Soon our feet led our group to an impecunious neighbourhood with a dingy park. It was still early in the morning and many of the people were asleep littered across the infamous park. Along the park was a colourful, attracting mural, despite the melancholic atmosphere. A young woman was leaning against the painted mural. She was sitting on grass while using a wide cardboard sheet as a blanket. Oblivious to us, I gravitated towards her and grabbed a sandwich and water for her. With a swollen face from bug bites, she looked up at me as I offered the sandwich. The moment she acknowledged my presence, the most uplifting expression crept her face. It was a soft angelic smile, but her facial expression showed her appreciation and loving heart more than words could express. Truly, I saw Christ through someone else's face. A simple act of providing a meal allowed me to see the face of Christ that I was unfamiliar with.
That moment made me realize that waking up to food in the cupboards every morning is a true blessing. I came to understand that the mission field is no longer just "out there,” but "right here.” Many of us, alike, suffer from some form of poverty. Whether our struggle is financial, emotional or spiritual poverty, almost everyone deals with it. Through my interaction with the woman that day, I became aware of my spiritual poverty. She was able to give me what I lacked. Not once in the preceding weeks did I feel that I was sacrificing myself and giving to those with financial poverty. The woman that day gave me more than what I gave her.
At the retreat, we were never given a schedule or any information on missions we were to embark on for the day. Whenever I asked what was happening subsequently, they would tell us to "participate, not anticipate!" Through the woman I encountered at the park, I realized that to grow out of my spiritual poverty I needed to participate in charitable acts for Christ instead of waiting for Him to help me.
[This reflection is written by Elaine Baluyut, one of the youth missionaries who attended Salesians Gospel Roads 2014 in Toronto.]