The Good Samaritans in my life... always the anawim

This is a rambling post -I hope it doesn't annoy the few people who might read my blog tonight. I write for myself more than for others (it doesn't look like anyone really reads it anyway)... I write because it makes me happy and I think it is God's will. When St. Anthony couldn't find people willing to listen to him, he preached to birds (I simply post something here.) I am thinking in Russian word order tonight and I don't know why, but it is making editing this blog difficult. I apologize for any rambling thoughts that don't have my normal cohesive train of thought. I get to be one of my friends, the anawim, in this. Littleness is powerful. So, fiat. +

Who are the anawim? They are the 'little people' who need God. 

Here are lots of visuals of true 'anawim':

                                                             
                                                

So, really, who are these anawim of God? They are my best friends... they are my 'good Samaritans' who help me daily to see and experience and taste the presence of God in the world.

Anawim (pronounced ah-nah-weem) is a Hebrew word that means, “the poor who depend on the Lord for deliverance.” Or, 'those who are bowed down.' The anawim of the Old Testament were the poor of every sort: the vulnerable, the marginalized, and socio-economically oppressed, those of lowly status without earthly power. In fact, they depended totally on God for whatever they owned. 

These are not usually the priests, the doctors, or the lawyers of this world (although there are exceptions like that picture of Pere Toma Phillippe above -he was truly poor of heart in the holiest of ways).

I was reflecting on these 'little people' who are powerful bombs of God's Love in my life when I was  once hospitalized and I made 37 phone calls to 10 priests and a bunch of lawyers and doctors (most were friends) looking for help -only two people called back and after being cut off never returned the calls. So, who did my sweet Jesus send to me? The tax-collectors, drug addicts and prostitutes. And as I noticed this happening to me most recently, I was reminded of all of the times that God has done this for me in the past as well. He chose and sent 'little people' to speak words of laughter, encouragement and wisdom to me, instead of sending the important, the 'holy', and the self-righteous. Incredible... Yes, it is incredible to see pearls of wisdom and pure love come out of such unique characters.

Here are lots of examples of my exchanges with the anawim throughout my lifetime that come to mind tonight -in many countries, different situations and varying times, so often when people I trusted failed me, God sent me 'anawim':

** One day I got off the phone in a public place with a family member who was trying my patience (to say the least) and Sam the tattoo man (I didn't really know him, but came to meet him) walked up to me and said, "Take a deep breath, Mary, and let her go... you can't win with her. I am an atheist, but I am humanitarian and as a humanitarian I am sick of watching what people are doing to you."
How'd he know?

** After a frustrating day, 'John' met me in the hall and said, 'Keep smiling, Mary, you're getting hammered...Here, I'll smile with you. Cheese!'

** Another drug addict greeted me in a public place after I left an infuriating meeting with a questionable (and mean) doctor saying, 'And the truth shall set you free! -I haven't seen it work with you yet, Mary, but it will work someday. Mary, Mary is my Mom's name. You're kinda like my Mom. But I think I should call you ____ (and he repeated the name that Jesus gave me in prayer months ago that NO ONE knows)..." He proceeded to call me by Jesus' name for me.

** One morning Vlad the Ukrainian met me with a drawing of an airplane and said, "This is what real love is, Mary. I can't explain this, but you have to understand what I'm trying to tell you." He didn't make a lot of sense, but I knew God was pointing something out to me. Who is it I see in airplanes over our house? I figured that we just live by an airport, but maybe there is something more -maybe there is someone who loves me somewhere and I simply cannot see them (like the people in the plane). I try to understand my spiritual brother symbolically.

** Lance introduced me to someone in a hallway saying about me, 'We just call her the new Mother Teresa, except she's prettier...She takes care of all of us and she will teach you to pray if you need it...' I laughed and said, "Lance, Mother Teresa was 80 when she was famous, she was pretty when she was 41 like me..." He drew me a picture of Michaelangelo the Ninja Turtle and told me that I was a hero like he was... but similar to 'the invisible woman' (I don't know my superheros, but he said that if I traveled the world and was never hurt God must have kept me invisible.) These people don't know me, but they are so encouraging and loving in their own simple ways... incredible.

** Once after meeting a random girl for a short period of time she said, "Can I give you my number and we can meet at Panera like you used to with your sisters and we can read books together and you can help me?" She was a woman of the streets. Another one I met ironically was struggling with her husband's affair -she showed me Scripture about forgiveness and asked how to live it practically because she was deeply hurt.

** And often when I feel sick (or even on the streets walking to Mass) random people come up and say, "I've got you! You're like my Mom, my Sister, etc. I'm going to protect you."

** Dimyrus sat with me for an hour one day trying to explain what it was like to draw the perfect picture and said that he wanted to draw me one but was afraid of repeating something in the past (he wanted me to get something exclusive and special). So much thought...

** Or 'Mary, I'm having bad dreams,' a druggy said to me once, 'Can you teach me to pray?' This was God's gift to me... someone who let me love them. And it wasn't the priests, doctors and lawyers of this world -it was the little people. Sometimes they love and help me, and sometimes they are a gift by letting me love and help them. But regardless of who is giving and who is taking, these 'little people' are always smiling and full of joy.

** I remember once getting caught up with some mafia in Russia (real estate guys -its a long story), but after an hour of being stuck in a car with these guys one turned to me and asked me, "How can I get faith like you? Do I have to say a prayer to have faith? Can it be in German, because I don't know Russian prayers, but my grandma taught me one in German? Can I have faith like you if I say a prayer in German? Will it work?"

** One day walking to Mass a straggly man jumped out of a pick-up as I passed his driveway. He called to me and when I looked up he had a brand-new baby in his arms he wanted to give to me (to show me). He was so proud... he said he had six other little ones at home and later when I brought them cookies to celebrate their newest family member, another of his daughters grabbed my hand and ran me over to the tent to show me her little brother sleeping inside. So much love, so much joy, from my little ones... from the Anawim of God.

Its so often the drug addicts and prostitutes trying to start anew who bring me Jesus' treasures.

I can't stop marveling at the goodness of Jesus in this.

And so I was walking home after Mass this afternoon and on my way I stopped at Martin's. After groceries I realized my full hands and aching body (lupus flares again, fiat) did not want to walk home. I bought Johnny flowers for Mass at the cemetery tomorrow and I said to him and Jesus, "Okay, right now if you send someone who knows me to offer a ride I'll actually take it. Can you send someone?" I hardly walked out of the parking lot and a little white car pulled up and rolled down the window and a super awesome black lady hollered, "Its too hot to walk today, jump in I'll give you a ride!" I saw three little grandchildren's heads peeking out at me from the back and knew it was safe and an immediate answer to my prayers. "Thanks!" I said as I got in the car. She said, "We have one stop to make. We've got to drive through McDonald's and get us all ice cream cones -its just too hot!" So I had an awesome ice cream with a random lady on her way home from church with her grandkids. I cannot tell you how happy this lady made me today... just real, tangible, authentic, selfless LOVE. I told her that I had just prayed and she said, "You've gotta be a missionary -I could tell -you are my sister in the Lord!" So beautiful! So so so beautiful. Just so beautiful.

** So often in my life its not the people I expect who help me. I'm not saying anything about unreturned phone calls -But I always go back to being the beaten up, abandoned man on the street in Jesus' parable... And when that happens (no matter where I have been in the world), its not the priests, the doctors, the lawyers who help me -no, they have 'good excuses....' Its the little people. Its the guy who tried to beg a dollar from me today when his bike was stolen (so he could take a trolley home) and I seriously had no money... I said, "I'm not being mean, I really have nothing except this dime -you can have it; but please know I'm really not trying to be mean in only giving you a dime," and he said, "No, I know that you are not mean!" Someone who spoke the truth... He knew that I'm not mean... He said it like a public proclamation and he was so kind...

** Its the random street people (usually drug addicts) who amaze me and show me the face of Jesus - for example when they overheard me one day talking to a group saying, "I hate being so defenseless," they jumped to attention and said, "I'll be like Joseph -I do carpentry -and I will protect you. I don't care what other people say, Mary, I love you. They can all hate you, but I LOVE YOU. You are our Mom, our Sister, our Friend." And they sing all sorts of 'Mary Mary' songs to me: "Mary Mary quite contrary...", "Mary Mary, Why you buggin'?" and "Mary, you're covered in roses...". Yes, I have huge, tattooed drug addict guys who randomly sing to me in the streets sometimes -it seems unreal, but its so real. Its Jesus making a spiritual meal for me out of a couple loaves and fishes... Its Jesus making lemonade out of the lemons of my life. Incredible.

Like the story below of the girl with a meth-laced drink who ended up meeting me and saying Jesus gave her that song 'Blessings' to heal my heart, we all (regardless of circumstances) can be instruments of Love. We can be that Samaritan who was not supposed to be the answer, the one to care for the Jewish man wounded -when the wounded man's own people failed him, the Samaritan stepped up. He just showed up and stepped up to the plate. And Jesus praised him for that. I try to imitate him. A person recently (non-Catholic) had a family member murdered and had strange stuff happening -I sent them to get a Mass and I told them, 'Tell Father if he needs money for the Mass that 'Mary' will pay...' (I'll find the money somewhere.) I try in little things. But these people give God MORE joy than when I do it, I think, because I know better... they are newbees to the life of faith and they love me recklessly... their love is the love of humble, simple, weak anawim.

And so I will end this with another song. We all have to live this song... it is about how each of us (even and especially the 'simple ones') can change the world through little acts, gestures and words of love. This is just real:

"Let your love change the world, one person at a time.

Let your life be the presence, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As His bread becomes His Body, we can be the living sign.

With God's love change the world, with your life..."