The Kindness of Strangers

Life was going well for *Mike and *Sherry. They had good jobs with benefits, enjoyed spending time with Mike’s young daughter as much as they could, and had made their rental house a home. But one

day…everything changed.

After a fire destroyed their home and all their belongings, Mike and Sherry began the painful and emotional process of determining their next steps. Thankfully, they were insured, but as is often the case, they encountered a lot of red tape and a prolonged period of time to sort through all the details. In the meantime, deposits were being requested for utilities and a new place to live; in addition to needing money for household items, furniture, and clothing. Mike and Sherry knew financial help would come; the question was when and how much.

Having never faced such dire financial circumstances, the couple found it difficult to reach out for help. But finally, in desperation, Mike and Sherry came to Catholic Charities and shared their story through many tears. Hugs were given – as was financial assistance to help with monthly bills – and the couple was reassured they are not in this battle alone and we would do whatever we could to help them through the next few difficult months.

Catholic Charities was able to assist with a utility bill, help feed them through the Table of Blessings, share produce from gracious local growers, and connect them with a generous donor with furniture to share.

Mike and Sherry have since received their insurance settlement and came to our office with a generous donation to “pay back” what was given to them. While this is always welcomed and appreciated, we aren’t looking to be “paid back” and are confident that Mike and Sherry simply want to “pay it forward” so Catholic Charities can continue to help someone else in a similar crisis.

Mike shared with us, “I never realized that strangers could really care about us until we came to your door.” And that is the most important work we do throughout the year – create hope.

*Not real names

Being Religious Doesn’t Always Mean Being Right

We all have our comfort zone. The question is: do we ever get out of it? If we wish to follow the example of Jesus, we must be prepared to have encounters with people that would typically have us running the other direction. Take a peek into this conversation between Jesus and the respected religious leaders of his day found in Matthew 9:9-13:

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.

While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.

 

The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Did you notice these well-respected religious leaders have an air of spiritual superiority about them? Rather than desiring to help the weak, vulnerable, poor, and blatant ‘sinners’, they consider it offensive for Jesus to give them the time of day. These men were religious, but they were totally wrong in how they related to God and others. They needed a change of heart.

In his New York Times best-seller, Love Does: Discovering a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World, author Bob Goff writes, “Jesus spent most of his life with people we spend most of ours trying to avoid.”

Could it be true? Do you spend most of your time where you feel most comfortable – avoiding people and places because of a sense of spiritual snobbery? Do you need a change of heart toward God and others? If so, it’s never too late to “get in the game” of loving others the way Jesus loves. Selflessly. Fearlessly. Undeniably.

Let’s love like Jesus today. It’s because of his love for us that we have the privilege to do the same.

Helping Families Recover from Trauma

Trauma comes in many forms: domestic violence, poverty, child abuse and neglect, homelessness. Whatever the form, the impact on family functioning can be ongoing and the emotional, social, and physical health of family members is often seriously damaged; sometimes bridging generations. Helping families recover from trauma and build resilience to ongoing trauma such as poverty is currently seen as crucial to providing mental health services that adequately address the needs of both the children and adults.

Catholic Charities has explored many innovative programs to help families that have experienced significant levels of trauma. One of the newest of these programs to be utilized by Catholic Charities in Bloomington’s Counseling and Psychological Services is called "Strengthening Families Coping Resources" (SFCR). SFCR is a trauma-focused, multi-family, skill-building intervention. SFCR is designed for families living in traumatic contexts with the goal of reducing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders in children and adult caregivers. Since most families living in traumatic contexts contend with ongoing stressors and threats, SFCR is also designed to increase coping resources in children, adult caregivers, and in the family system to prevent relapse and re-exposure. Specifically, SFCR builds the coping resources necessary to help families boost their sense of safety, function with stability, regulate their emotions and behaviors, and improve communication about and understanding of the traumas they have experienced. We may think of trauma as something "big," like being the victim of or witnessing violence, but not understand how something like the ongoing daily stress of poverty is also a major source of trauma. SFCR is designed to help families recognize the more subtle forms of trauma and how to develop skills and family relationships that help build resiliency and reduce the traumatic impact resulting from ongoing environmental stress.

Catholic Charities is here to provide help and create hope for all. If you would like more information about our counseling services, please call (812) 332-1262 or visit CatholicCharitiesBtown.org.