The Stranger Among Us

Epiphany (A)

The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.  –   Leviticus 19:34

A few days ago, I read an article by a young man with cerebral palsy.  In it, he told the story of his painful struggle at Mass when the priest asked everyone to hold hands before beginning the Our Father.  His life is already very challenging as it is.  He comes to Mass, and has to battle his afflictions in such a way at that moment that he can barely focus on the words of the Our Father that he prays.  No one else at this Mass has to deal with such anguish, nor is anyone doing anything to even meet this young man halfway. Continue reading “The Stranger Among Us”

Disability and Faith

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

A few years ago, I read about a social experiment that a man and a woman were involved in. One day, the two of them went to a busy street corner and began to engage people in conversation. People interacted with both the man and the woman during these conversations.

The next day, the man and the woman went to a different street corner. This time, however, the woman sat in a wheelchair. When they engaged people in conversation, most simply ignored the woman altogether and spoke only with the man. Continue reading “Disability and Faith”