Personal Sacrifice

A friend of mine shared this the other evening and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  I wanted to post it here to share and for safekeeping so I can come back and reflect on it again and again.

in the first centuries
of christianity
the hungry we fed
at a personal sacrifice,
the naked were clothed
at a personal sacrifice,
the homeless were sheltered
at a personal sacrifice.
and because the poor
were fed, clothed and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice,
the pagans used to say
about the christians,
“see how they love each other.”
in our own day
the poor are no longer
fed, clothed and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice
but at the expense of the taxpayers.
and because the poor
are no longer
fed, clothed and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice,
the pagans say about the
christians,
“see how they pass the buck.”

- peter maurin