During this holy period, apart from filling bellies and gulping massive amounts of beverages, we also feel the need to satisfy our conscience.
The easiest way of achieving this is by contributing financially to the numerous collections held on various media by either pressing a button on Facebook, sending an SMS or writing a fat cheque.
All very commendable actions, which last only a few minutes and, as soon as we’re ready, we can go back to binge eating, socialising (with adequate distance) and consuming endless hours of Christmas movies.
But, while zapping through the channels, the ‘Pope’s encounter with the Invisible’, which aired on Christmas Day, caught my eye.
The Holy Father met a woman fleeing from her violent husband while raising four children. She was concerned about her kids’ future, mainly because the pandemic also wiped out her last hope of recovery when she lost her job.
Francis told her not to lose hope, face the future with dignity and persist in the face of adversity until someone helped her. Interestingly, he had the same advice for the lady who has been homeless for many years.
The words “until someone helps you” kept resonating in my brain and reminded me of the story behind the Soup Kitchen OFM Valletta.
Fr Marcellino Micallef, the director, once told me how it all began. Many decades earlier, during his missionary work abroad, he was asked to assist a poor village far away on the top of a mountain. While celebrating Mass, he happened to read the biblical story of the miracle of the five loaves and two fish.
A particular passage stood out to him where Jesus asked his disciples: “You give them something to eat.” It sowed the seed inside him, which, years later, grew into the soup kitchen we have today.
The similarity between them is astounding. It is not just about giving alms but, more importantly, about taking action and making a difference in someone else’s life. It’s a call to stop being indifferent and actively change society for the better.
In the end, he even offered the homeless person he was talking to a place where to stay- Alexiei Dingli
We must eradicate the invisible cancer of poverty infecting and consuming our humanity!
But the Holy Father even went a step further. He said that, when he hears confession, he asks people whether they look the poor in the eye when they give charity and, surprisingly, many of them don’t.
We seem to be afraid of experiencing the thoughts of fellow humans, maybe because our conscience starts aching. Sometimes, we do not realise that giving is not just about helping others but also about changing ourselves.
A few months back, a man visited the soup kitchen to make a small financial donation. We invited him to stay and have a word with our guests because we believe that our donors must get to know exactly how we spend their money. And the best way to do that is directly from the horse’s mouth.
At first, he hesitated but, following some encouragement, he sat down next to one of our visitors. What was meant to be a five-minute visit
lasted more than an hour and, in the end, he even offered the homeless person he was talking to a place where to stay.
When we open a communication channel with these people, learn about their lives, understand their daily struggles and look inside the window of their souls, we experience life-changing events. These are the miracles of the soup kitchen!
Unfortunately, many charity collection platforms make it easy to give out money but shield us from interacting directly with the poor. Of course, we should still support them but we have to pledge to be more hands-on.
As Pope Francis once said, “it is not essential to measure the number of poor we have but all we have to do is hug them”.
Human contact is essential in all we do. Just think of our children, many of whom are shielded far away from the troubles of life. What would be the most life-changing for them, sending a few euros online (and forgetting about them in a second) or handing one of their toys to a poor child, looking straight in his eyes while staring at his sufferings? And this applies to all of us as well.
So, while we should keep our pledges and help charities with our donations, let’s also try to be more active. Because, ultimately, we can only eradicate poverty once and for all by changing society for the better.
May I take this opportunity to urge you to support the soup kitchen and other charities while also wishing you a Happy New Year full of health, love, peace and joy.
Alexiei Dingli, deputy chief administrator of the Soup Kitchen OFM Valletta Foundation