A couple of years ago I saw a homeless person begging on the street. I was moved and decided to buy him some food and engage him in conversation. I had been reflecting on the power of love, and my heart was full of desire to bring some love to someone and to make them feel special.

I went to a corner store, bought the person some snacks and a drink, and with eagerness came up to him and offered the snack with a warm smile. I was shocked when he shooed me away saying he didn’t want my snacks. He also wasn’t interested in talking or engaging whatsoever. He was actually quite rude and I was hurt.

As I walked away I was struck by the realization of how God must feel when we reject his love and his gifts. He is eagerly waiting to pour out his life, his love, his gifts, and we often are too distracted to notice or we shoo him away.

If I could be so hurt by a person I didn’t even know, I can only imagine how much more the Lord suffers when his love is answered with coldness or indifference. What grief must be felt by this Lover who continues taking risks for us. 

I was also struck by how loving doesn’t only mean giving; it also means receiving the gift of the other with appreciation and warmth. It means going so far as receiving people into our hearts and acknowledging their value beyond what they do or what their position is. It means seeing them as good, recognizing their inherent value, and expressing it somehow.

It reminds me of story I heard of a man who saw a woman begging by a storefront. He didn’t have any money on him, but he had a beautiful rose. He gave her the rose and spent some time talking with her and asking about her life. Later in the day he came back with some food and money, but she wasn’t there. He asked the store manager where she was, and he replied, “She is living on the rose.”  

That rose and the dignity she experienced in the way the man interacted with her had enriched this woman more than money or food could have. He saw her dignity and the woman felt it. That rose represented so much more than food: that she was worthy of love and respect; that she mattered.

I’m always moved when I speak to Vicki and Pat Conroy, the founders of Agape Street Ministry. They have a way of making people feel special, whether it’s a woman on the street, a volunteer, or a fellow co-worker.

Recently Vicki came to Gardens of Gethsemani to share her testimony at a retreat for people who have experienced loss. She reminded us all about the power of telling people that God loves them and showing them his love with small gestures of kindness. 

In this new year may we learn to open our hearts wide to receive Our Lord and all the love he has for us. He wants to act in and through us in surprising and mysterious ways if we only open ourselves humbly to him.

May we also grow in our receptivity to others, especially those closest to us. May they feel acknowledged and appreciated, and may they experience Our Lord’s love through us.