SUNDAY, June 14 2 Pentecost

Chuck and his teenaged grandchildren, Mick and Maggie, were new volunteers. Chuck was slight and elderly. I needed workers. It was my first time as soup kitchen supervisor--forgetting that I had prayed, I was anxious.

Mick disappeared into the dishwashing room, the most specialized and least popular assignment. As Chuck and Maggie waited patiently for direction, my judgment softened. The first task, filling plastic cups with applesauce, they polished off in record time. Salad for one hundred quickly followed.

Many people like to hand food to the appreciative diners. By serving time we were glutted with these volunteers. On the other hand, the task of scouring the pots and pans is avoided when possible. For this untouchable job Chuck and Maggie volunteered, tracking down utensils, scrubbing away grime, and working with visible joy and love, both in the task and in each other.
Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve  (Matthew 20:28). It is in the quality of our service that the heart can be seen.

PRAY for the Diocese of Central Philippines  (The Philippines)

Ps 20 and 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13  -OR- Ps 92:1-4, 11-14 and Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10(11-13)14-17; Mark 4:26-34