What is Outreach?
It’s a knock at the door,
or a ring of the phone.
It’s a cold, homeless drifter.
It’s a widow feeling alone.
It’s a young single mom
with hungry children to feed.
It’s the lost and forsaken
who have love as their need.
It’s the sixteen-year-old boy
who is addicted to “coke.”
It’s the elderly couple
whose home went up in smoke.
It’s the poor, tattered old man
with holes in his shoe.
It’s the young, worried father
whose mortgage is due.
It’s the once-wealthy family
whose breadwinner fell ill.
It’s the active parishioner
who can’t pay a bill.
It’s the young girl “in trouble.”
It’s the battered middle-aged wife.
It’s the mentally challenged
who see no hope in their life.
It’s the poor, hungry, down-trodden
each with their own special need.
These are the sheep
that Jesus called us to feed.
It’s not always tangibles
our Lord wants us to share.
It’s our love and compassion
and a heart that says, “We care.”
Outreach is a ministry
to which we are all called.
We “Do unto Jesus”
when we reach out to all.
Written by Lorraine Magyar, PSM Coordinator
St. Lawrence the Martyr, Sayville, NY
Written for the anniversary of Clare House, PSM at St. Sylvester, Medford, when Lorraine was an assistant there.