This is a blog post I wrote for the DOOR blog, but it gives you and idea of what my summer job has been like!
As a summer support staff member for DOOR San Antonio, one of my roles is to accompany our volunteers to their work sites. The site I most often accompany groups to is the Catholic Worker House, a hospitality house in downtown
I realized when I first walked in this place that God is at work within these walls. The people who come to utilize services are not seen by the volunteers as clients looking for a handout. They are friends and guests who are welcomed with a hug and smile, appreciated for their company. The volunteers that keep the House running day-to-day exude a joy for their work and in their relationships with visitors. They exemplify the image given by Jesus in Matthew 25 when Jesus says, “I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’” I think if Jesus had owned a house, he would run it a lot like this one.
I am most pleased when our DOOR groups discover that some of the visitors coming in to eat are also the ones helping to prepare meals, harvest vegetables from the garden, wash dishes, and repair the House computer. The labels of “us” and “them” get stripped away and it becomes easier to realize that we are no different than the ones we came to serve. In fact, the people on the other side of our serving line have valuable wisdom to impart to us as well.
One such individual, John Wayne, has been coming to Catholic Worker House for several months for meals, but he also helps cook and wash dishes. He is always eager to greet the DOOR volunteers and entertain them with stories of his childhood as they chop vegetables for lunch. Another man, Fredrick, reminded me the other day of the ever existent hope we find in each new day. He told me, “It’s better to be a living dog than a dead lion.”
I sometimes wonder if our groups realize the significance when they lay aside that stereotype of “homeless” and open themselves up to a new friend at Catholic Worker. It’s the very nature of Jesus and his upside-down kingdom. The physical appearance comes second to the soul and heart of the person. Each guest visiting has stories and experiences to share, and Catholic Worker House gives our groups the opportunity to listen.
