Fr. Richard Ho Lung - Diary Of A Ghetto Priest JESUS, AS a baby, was homeless. There was no room at the inn. He was born in a stable, way out in the fields, among donkeys and cows, sheep and goats. He had no clothes but was swaddled in pieces of makeshift clothing. In His early days the state police hunted Him like an unwanted criminal. But He grew up by God's hand and His parents' protection and became the Saviour of the world.
He was poor and identified His purpose and His vocation in these words: "I have come to bring good news to the poor." Who will help the poor at Christmastime? Who will visit the stable at Bethlehem? We will need lots of help and we promise you much blessings. Come and work and clean and wrap gifts. Come and sing Christmas carols. Come and feed and bathe our orphans and sweep our homes for the little children. Come and bring Christ to the poor. Come and receive Christ in the poor.
Our poor have no family members, no Christmas gifts, no family dinners, no visitors, no new clothes all five hundred along with our food line ghetto people will be around our five different homes at Christmastime. The Brothers and myself will be singing our hearts out. We will be offering Mass and prayers. We will be cooking and cleaning and caring for the poorest and most forgotten of people at Christmastime. We would love to have you with us.
We are grateful for gifts in service of our poor, whether it be yams and bananas, potatoes and tomatoes; whether it be fish or fowl or cows or goat meat; whether it be money or prayers or your actual presence. During the next week, we invite you to come and visit and work with our little kids the crippled, blind, deaf, mute kids all who are most loveable. Or maybe you will want to visit and comfort and work with our elderly men and women all so forgotten, and without home or relatives.
Perhaps you will like the Down's syndrome men and women we have with us, or our HIV/AIDS folks. Telephone us at 922-1380 or 948-0287 or come to 3 North Street, next to the Gleaner. You won't believe it, but it will make your Christmas what it is truly meant to be.
We most appreciate those who just want to serve and to love. Love is the very heart of Christ. Love is the very purpose of Christmas. Christmas time is not just family time. It is the special day for Christians when Christ was born. To celebrate His birthday, our Saviour could not be more pleased than if He saw you with the Missionaries of the Poor during the Christmas season working with "the least of our brothers and sisters."
Oddly, the poor have much more to give us than we have to give them. They are filled with love, gratefulness and a spirit of thanksgiving. Even in our own families there are often too many gifts, too many dinners, too many parties, too much pleasure-seeking, too much money spent on ourselves and our own family members.
Christ, who is a man for others, gave Himself to others. Thus, He became the most blessed man who ever walked the earth. He was the happiest man who spread the greatest happiness among the most miserable of peoples. You and I likewise will be the happiest of persons if we gave and gave until our very life is given away in service of others.
Bring your heart when you come and visit our poor. What more can you give than yourself? And if you bring gifts, little or large, give until it hurts. Give, not the crumbs off your table, not the small change in your pocket, but give substantially. Then God will love you in a special way, and you will feel the real joy of Christmas.
Fr. Richard Ho Lung is founder and leader of the Missionaries of the Poor.
