ANGELS AMONG US/WHATSOEVER YOU DO TO THE LEAST OF MY PEOPLE

Whatsoever you do
to the least of my people,
that you do unto me.

 When I was hungry, you gave me to eat;
When I was thirsty, you gave me to drink.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

 When I was homeless, you opened your door;
When I was naked, you gave me your coat.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

 When I was weary, you helped me find rest;
When I was anxious, you calmed all my fears.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

When in a prison, you came to my cell;
When on a sickbed, you cared for my needs.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

When I was laughed at, you stood by my side;
When I was happy, you shared in my joy.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

                My brother, Richard, wrote a lovely post on Facebook recently where he talked of meeting God frequently while going about his business of the day. I’ve had those same experiences a number of times. There have been instances when I’ve met someone and truly felt that I was in the presence of God. I’ve left those meetings feeling as though I’d been given a special gift. Two encounters come to mind. These were situations where someone was being especially kind to me, for no apparent reason.

                The first time was years ago standing outside Buckingham Palace watching the changing of the guards. We were with a group of friends, and there was a large crowd in front of us. We were having trouble seeing. Out of nowhere came a little man in a wool overcoat and a top hat. He had white hair sticking out from under the hat and he was missing most of his teeth. He introduced himself and said he’d been one of the Royal guards when he was a young. He was so warm and engaging and before we knew it he’d told us to follow him. Somehow he parted the crowd like he was parting the Red Sea and we were soon in front. We thanked him and turned to watch the ceremony. When we turned back around he’d disappeared.

                The next encounter was when on a trip to Greece, my husband and I tried to use an ATM machine near the Plaka in Athens. We weren’t having much luck when out of nowhere; Christoph appeared and offered to help. His English was quite good and he said he’d learned it from American servicemen he’d met while working on a base in Greece. He helped us get money then he started walking around the Plaka with us. He ended up spending several hours showing us various points of interest and talking about Greece. He took us to an Orthodox Greek church and lit candles for us for a safe trip. He gave money to a man outside the church that he told us had AIDS. Then he took us to the Sunday Street fair and bought apples. He wouldn’t take a “tip” or any money from us but he did leave us at a friend’s jewelry store at the end of our day. I bought a pair of Greek key earrings from the friend. I suppose that was all the thanks Christoph needed. Interesting...his name was CHRISToph. Makes you stop and think.

                Many times I’ve met homeless people on the streets and something about them made me stop and think...was this really a homeless person or an angel in disguise? What if it was Christ himself that was nudging me to see the homeless person. Some people call me a sucker, but yes, I always give them money. Sometimes I buy them food if we’re near a fast food restaurant. But I always think, there but for the Grace of God go I.