Internship Week of October 16th

I sat in on the Children’s Chapel this Sunday. It is really wonderful. The rector gathers them all before the service starts and speaks to them briefly, then they process with their own cross downstairs. They gather and discuss a Bible story then do an activity relating to the story. Then they go back upstairs at the Offertory and help bring the food bank donations down for blessing. It is a great way to occupy the children during the “boring” parts of the service, but still keep them engaged in a spiritual way.

I went with the Rector to take communion to a Retirement Community Thursday. It was a very different experience for me. I enjoyed it immensely and would like to go again next month. There were only a few “participants” but they seemed enthusiastic and really appreciative of what we were doing.

The rector and I met again this week. We talked about how I’m feeling and what I’m experiencing. The rector wanted to make sure I was getting to do a little of everything, and to give feedback on my participation. It was all very positive and I feel like I am moving in the right direction.

Just before we were scheduled to meet something interesting happened, and I thought I would share it here. While waiting for the rector to be available for our meeting a homeless man came to the office door. He asked the secretary if there was a priest he could see, and after checking with the rector she asked him to wait. the rector came out and invited him into hir office, and while they had a private conversation many things came to mind. How often does this happen here? How does the rector handle the situation? How would I handle the situation? All I could think about was the passage where Christ tells us “when you helped the least of these you helped me.” Society tends to shun and turn a blind eye to those who are among the poor in our own neighborhoods. Christ’s ministry and teaching were the opposite; He asked that we embrace the poor, and the hungry, and the sick as members of the Body of Christ.

I shared my thoughts with the rector, and was told that it happens more often then most people realize. This brought up the question of where do you draw the line? How do you know if you are actually helping someone or feeding an addiction of some kind (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.)? We agreed that you can’t ever really know for sure, and sometimes that doesn’t matter. What matters is remembering to “seek and serve Christ in all persons” regardless of their income.