On one of my birthday wishes a friend wrote about enjoying my friendship: “Who else can talk about church, the pope and racial discrimination all in one five minute car ride?” I do have the curse or blessing of being able to connect a lot of thoughts in my mind. Some like this and some do not. I say it is about of being ‘crazy’, or more suitably, being ‘next to normal.’ Some people say that my thinking fast is not listening but friends realize I am listening just jumping ahead.

In primitive time people with this gift and others, like hearing voices, were considered divine like and to be respected. Today we are called, nicely, people with mental illnesses.

When reading my friend’s email I kept thinking of a prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola in his book the . This is the prayer: “Eternal Lord and King of all creation, humbly I come before you. Knowing the support of Mary, your mother, and all the saints, I am moved by your grace to offer myself to you and to your work. I deeply desire to be with you all wrongs and all rejections and all poverty, both actual and spiritual—and I deliberately choose this, if it is for your greater service and praise. If you, my Lord and King, would so call and choose me, than take and receive me into such a way of life.” It is one thing to accept wrongs, rejections and poverty and another thing to pray for them I still cannot pray for them but am learning, with age, that if we seek to follow the Way of Jesus, wrongs, rejections and poverty just come our way.

As we left the restaurant tonight after dinner a young man approached me and asks for a dollar to get some food. When I pulled my wallet out to look for a dollar he asked for five. Not seeing the dollar handy I pulled out the five and gave it to him. I asked him again what he wanted the money for and he said “food.” He thanked us and walked away. I thought that a few years ago this could have been my son. At times he was homeless,hungry and living on the streets in a strange city. Like my son I believe this person had been wronged, rejected and certainly suffered poverty. No matter why he was begging in downtown Milwaukee we are blessed by his presence and rather than ‘judge’ him we need to treat him like we would wanted to be treated ourselves.

I know people who like me and admire my persistence in faith. I know some people who do like me and sometimes let me know why. These two groups I can deal with. It is those who ignore me, or worst yet, my message that I have a hard time with. When you wrong or reject a person you are recognizing the person exists. However, when you ignore a person you are acting like the person does not exist, be it ‘crazy’ or unimportant. Poverty, being wrong and rejection are just part of the Way.

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