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Post by hopeful on Oct 2, 2017 15:32:19 GMT
Dear moderator and members, my stinky, uncouth, friend Lewis, a regular guest at out TLM, has prostate cancer. He is wasting away. We have a doctor at our Mass who is trying to treat him, but Lewis is very sick. Very hungry always, yet is skin and bones. I think he is near 60. Please take a moment to pray for him and also that he receive last rites and all the sacraments, from our parish priest. He does not have long for this world. I am very repulsed by this man, and yet he is in my thoughts every day. Please, a prayer.
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2017 0:20:45 GMT
Dear moderator and members, my stinky, uncouth, friend Lewis, a regular guest at out TLM, has prostate cancer. He is wasting away. We have a doctor at our Mass who is trying to treat him, but Lewis is very sick. Very hungry always, yet is skin and bones. I think he is near 60. Please take a moment to pray for him and also that he receive last rites and all the sacraments, from our parish priest. He does not have long for this world. I am very repulsed by this man, and yet he is in my thoughts every day. Please, a prayer. Hey Hopeful. Yeah I remember you talking about this man. Is he by chance a veteran? If he is, has he been lucky enough to get seen recently by a VA doc? Has a doctor said that the prostate cancer is terminal? I ask because if the cancer hasn't spread, or spread very much, they might determine he is eligible for a surgery. I know of a man who is very ill but just had prostate surgery. He is around 70 yo, with chronic renal failure, on dialysis, very frail, w/ serious, chronic prostate issues, recently his doctors were concerned he may not have long to live. But the prostate surgery was very simple and quick, using robots. Very little recovery. And recently his doctors discovered that his kidneys are almost miraculously healing. He may be able to go off dialysis. My point being, your stinky friend  might still have a fighting chance. But he'll need $$ from your parish, and social support to get well, if not a bed he can sleep in. Can your parish organize to help him? At least to visit and pray with him, to help prepare him in case he is going to die. I'd imagine a small group visiting him with Father while he annoints him in the last rites, would be a comfort. Or am I asking for too much? |
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Post by hopeful on Oct 3, 2017 1:32:16 GMT
You are thinking of my friend Kevin. Today is the first time I mentioned Lewis. Took me a bit to figure out that I truly care about Lewis. There is a doctor helping Lewis now, free. Lewis is out of his gourd. Stoned always and harasses people who attend our Mass. He is not devout and nor does he show any signs of wanting to be. Lewis is not a veteran. He is a beggar and has very little dignity. He makes it very hard to like him and help him.
Kevin is the opposite. He is easy to love. Poor Lewis. Pray the Lord changes his heart.
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2017 4:36:12 GMT
You are thinking of my friend Kevin. Today is the first time I mentioned Lewis. Took me a bit to figure out that I truly care about Lewis. There is a doctor helping Lewis now, free. Lewis is out of his gourd. Stoned always and harasses people who attend our Mass. He is not devout and nor does he show any signs of wanting to be. Lewis is not a veteran. He is a beggar and has very little dignity. He makes it very hard to like him and help him. Kevin is the opposite. He is easy to love. Poor Lewis. Pray the Lord changes his heart. |
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2017 4:36:35 GMT
You are thinking of my friend Kevin. Today is the first time I mentioned Lewis. Took me a bit to figure out that I truly care about Lewis. There is a doctor helping Lewis now, free. Lewis is out of his gourd. Stoned always and harasses people who attend our Mass. He is not devout and nor does he show any signs of wanting to be. Lewis is not a veteran. He is a beggar and has very little dignity. He makes it very hard to like him and help him. Kevin is the opposite. He is easy to love. Poor Lewis. Pray the Lord changes his heart. Ah yes, I forgot about loveable Kevin. Well, when you mentioned that Lewis was a regular guest at your parish, I assumed he would be behaved when attending, at least not so offensive that the ushers or Father would have to warn him, or ask him to take a break from coming until he sobers up. In other words, basically tolerable, at least most of the time. But considering the things you listed you don't like about him, I would ask, where is the merit in loving people who are "easy to love?" It reminds me of the Sermon on the Mount (imagining right now that scene in The Passion where Christ looks so serene), when Our Lord talked about loving our enemies, saying "where is the merit in just loving your friend? We must love our enemy." You mentioned praying for Lewis, and mentioned one parishioner who is helping him (a doctor). But I'm wondering what you think about the the ideas I suggeste? For parishioners, and you included, interacting with him on a personal level, as a source of a support, as long as you are safe. I am not judging you or anyone at your parish, but I am just going on what you said, and your last post, and considering what we can do in addition to prayer. Can you fill us in on what the parish is doing to help him? Am I making fair points, asking fair questions Hopeful? My thoughts on homeless people, considering where Ive lived for the past several years, even in a decent neighborhood--we still get a flow of homeless people who walk down a nearby side street. Ive helped them, but Im very cautious. Ive chatted with them at times. Other times, case to case, I keep my distance. I also volunteered in the downtown homeless shelter medical clinic before, and had to first take a short class about the homeless here in Tulsa (it is a very big problem in Tulsa). What I learned from that experience was that most are white, older men with alcoholism and drug addiction, and usually very severe mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar, PTSD). They have criminal backgrounds and serious moral issues. Many have stds, especially HIV-AIDS. And many are vets who suffer from some serious PTSD and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), who imo society and our government has given them the shaft. I can tell you many are sufferimg more than most could even imagine. Theres a very beautiful park I take walks at, thats pretty safe. But I will see men lying in the grass that look from a distance like they are dead corpses, covered in dirt, but getting closer I can see in their eyes a zombie, full of darkness, in a trance like state of severe depression. Solutions? 1. Catholic charities (in many dioces) needs to get off their ass and better help these white men, rejected by society and family. But they dont. The focus seems to be Hispanics. The Evangelics organize street ministries all the time. 2. Take the safety precautions they do at homeless shelters and street ministries. Perhaps some big, manly male volunteers. Packing some heat wouldnt hurt. Wear those black and white security style jackets or hoodies. Lay down the law. 3. Re Lewis, if he is going to come to the sacraments before he dies, sorry but Providence has brought him to your parish, so ya'll bear some responsibilty for his soul, and the key that will unlock his heart to God's mercy, is for laity, better a small informal group to help him, to show him mercy. Not just food and a doctor. But love, respect, warmth. Love for stinky, stoned, harassing Lewis. Think the bishop in Les Miserables how he helped Jean val Jean. Think how Christ spent time with lepers and prostitutes. Think of Lewis as Jesus who wants desparately your love. Again, I am not judging you, but I think sometimes trad parishes forget about corporal works of mercy. And welcoming every soul to the pew, regardless of their sins and defects, as long as they are basically reverent and respect posted parish rules for those attending Mass. What if it was because of you that Lewis didnt go to hell? Or that he might even at some point get off the streets? Who knows, what if he became an usher! I personally know an usher at a trad parish that used to be homeless. (Stepping off my soapbox) |
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Post by hopeful on Oct 3, 2017 14:11:01 GMT
Lewis is black and homeless, but his plight is as sad as those you speak of. Your points are great. Yes, it's easy to love the loveable. It's more meritorious to help the unloveables. My mother was one who was very attracted to the unloveables. This man has received charity and kindness from our group, people speak to him, give him food, coffee, and conversation. He comes to our potlucks and receptions. They forgive most of his rudeness, and call him out when appropriate. We learn from him very little about him. Our doctor is doing his best to treat him. Yes much more could be done. I will keep you updated on Lewis. Thank you for your encouragement and words of wisdom.
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2017 15:18:39 GMT
Lewis is black and homeless, but his plight is as sad as those you speak of. Your points are great. Yes, it's easy to love the loveable. It's more meritorious to help the unloveables. My mother was one who was very attracted to the unloveables. This man has received charity and kindness from our group, people speak to him, give him food, coffee, and conversation. He comes to our potlucks and receptions. They forgive most of his rudeness, and call him out when appropriate. We learn from him very little about him. Our doctor is doing his best to treat him. Yes much more could be done. I will keep you updated on Lewis. Thank you for your encouragement and words of wisdom. I don't know. It sounds like you could be doing a lot more to help Lewis. lol. kidding. Well I took the instructive angle after your less than happy comments about stinky Lewis, and that you still hadn't mentioned if anyone (besides the doctor) had helped. That's okay Hopeful. Sometimes we all miscommunicate. lol kidding again. you know me, the kidder In all seriousness, I will pray for Lewis. St. Pellegrino = patron saint for cancer. And I love St. Benedict Joseph Labre = a patron saint of the homeless. He kept trying to become a priest with no success, and was asked to leave many monasteries he tried to enter, so believing he DID have a vocation to be a monk, he voluntarily chose to be a homeless, wandering, beggar, visiting churches and going to Mass, praying and doing penance all day like a monk. acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2015/04/st-benedict-joseph-labre-patron-saint.htmlWhat else could we here at OkieTradCats do for Lewis. How about a gofundme? A blog post on The Okie Traditionalist could back up the fundraiser. Also post it on SD. "Go-Fund-Homeless-Lewis." Social network it through members of your parish. They don't so much as donate as spread it to their network of friends, especially trad friends, kind of a downward approach. If that makes sense. I can help with that. Its easy. I did it 5 times for my wife's vestment business, where strangers online donate so the priest/church doesn't have to pay for the vestments. We just need a pic of him (even better if he really "looks" homeless in it), a short intro, with a quote from him asking for help, plus a bank account #. I think the $ can be deposited in the organizer's account. Maybe coordinate the project with your priest. Shoot for say $10,000, but maybe higher. For his medical care, to get off the streets, maybe rehab, a simple furnished apartment. And the story will grow! Seriously. It would go viral. Big benefactors will step in, maybe help him get a job. Theme of campaign: traditional Catholics aren't uncharitable like they make us out to be, check out our campaign to help homeless Lewis. Its very easy to set up and spread, and fun, and you can do it from your recliner using your tablet. At the same time talk about traditional Catholicism and your trad parish that is organizing it. A way to evangelize Tradition. What do you think Hopeful? Who is with me? Perevang? Tulsapapist? Laramie Hirsch? |
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Post by hopeful on Oct 4, 2017 18:12:50 GMT
Admin, I won't be doing a go fund me when we have several families that all deserve a go fund me, for various serious reasons. I feel like I've been put to the test and failed, but there you have it. You are so obviously empathetic to this man's cause. That is good. No, we will, myself and others, work this within our group and support him as our priest and the Holy spirit leads. May not be a very satisfying response, but this is where I'm at on this.
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Post by PerEvangelicaDicta on Oct 8, 2017 18:04:29 GMT
"... welcoming every soul to the pew, regardless of their sins and defects, as long as they are basically reverent and respect posted parish rules for those attending Mass. " Admin, as you know, I came to tradition from the N.O. (I always say I was raised as, and became, 'conservative EWTN Catholic, oblivious to the TLM'). The first TLM chapel we found was an independent (non sede) one in a poor neighborhood in FL. The priest/pastor was exactly as you describe above. He would not tolerate the trad judgmentalists that complained about the homeless who would wander in to Mass and/or social hall (or those who lectured the N.O. people who came without a veil or wearing less-than-trad appropriate clothing due to ignorance). He's awesome. But those were our new trad days before learning about jurisdiction Hopeful, as Admins says, God has assigned Lewis to your parish for his spiritual and temporal care. We had more than a few Lewis's over the years at that chapel in FL so boy do I empathize. The Kevin's are easy to love, the Lewis's take dedication and are, in essence, a cross. Look for the tiny victories! My only suggestion, and it may not work but worth a try, is to give him a green scapular, and your parish family say the prayer each day for him? He may or may not take it off - in his state of mind, would that count? - but ya'll can keep saying the prayer each day. Happy holy day of the Lord, OTC family. |
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might still have a fighting chance. But he'll need $$ from your parish, and social support to get well, if not a bed he can sleep in. Can your parish organize to help him? At least to visit and pray with him, to help prepare him in case he is going to die. I'd imagine a small group visiting him with Father while he annoints him in the last rites, would be a comfort. 