Daniel agreed to walk me up Market Street in San Francisco to Church for dinner. He was a “regular” there. On the way he told me many stories, and related an occasional off-color joke. I was grateful for him. We arrived at Most Holy Redeemer Church. He began to give out cigarettes to people, and it made them happy.
Soon, Daniel and 100 other homeless men and women were enjoying a four-course family dinner with their friends— parishioners, volunteers, and others from the street. Conversation abounded, good smells wafted through the room, and life was palpable. This was a house of prayer. There was no price, and nobody was better than anyone else. People, like Daniel, just loved each other.
We are all capable of this kind of love. Let us discern how we may be called to “flip tables,” in order to create a welcoming space for everyone.
—Chris Williams, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic of the Wisconsin province, is studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.