Y’know how I said I was reading spiritual books? Well, I found a winner. One that taught me more about God and Jesus than some other titles that purport to be an explanation of the Gospels. And it was just my style: It was about service. In Kalamazoo, Michigan of all places.
Jane Knuth wrote a short book about volunteering in a St Vincent de Paul Thrift store. She talks about the clients she helps: poor people, people just out of jail, people with mental health challenges, people with substance abuse issues, people who had made bad decisions and people who had bad things happen to them. And sometimes, very messy combinations of several of these things.
She also talked about the people who donate to the store, the people who shop for treasures at the store, and the people who come in looking for religion.
The book was a very practical lesson in Jesus’s teaching. These were lessons about what it means to help someone with a utility bill, or enough money to get a sore tooth pulled at a clinic, or clothes to go to a hard-won, hard-working job.
It was an eye-opening and heartfelt book about getting out of your comfort zone and getting your hands dirty to help people who genuinely need a hand up.
Right now, service speaks to me in ways that other religious activities just don’t and this book was an excellent story about the kinds of spiritual practice that can change the world, one person at a time.
Catholics rock!
Two thumbs up.
Plum Librarian LLC 