Terms and Conditions May Apply

I think the biggest lesson in life that I have learned is that we always have to “read the fine print”. How often we go to a store to make a return or an exchange, or call the bank over an unexpected charge, or get rejected when trying to make use of a warranty on an item we purchased that has since malfunctioned, and we are slapped in the face with “terms and conditions” that were expressed in the small print at the bottom of a form. It is shocking however when “Terms and Conditions” are placed on helping another human being.

Homeless Voices for Justice, is a statewide advocacy group in Maine that is led by people who have been homeless. It works on issues that affect the homeless, such as supporting affordable housing and preventing violence against the homeless. Portland-based Preble Street, which runs a dozen programs to provide housing and other services for the poor and the homeless, provides staff support for Homeless Voices for Justice.

The Diocese of Portland’s Campaign for Human Development had previously provided grant funding for this program. Proposition 1 on the ballot last fall in Maine was to overturn the new law legalizing gay marriage. The Preble Street Resource Center backed the effort to vote “no” on this question, inspiring the Diocese to not only stop funding the program, but also demanded the return of unspent monies from the grant in question.

On the list of qualifications for receiving a grant from the Diocese the applicant had to respond to various questions asking what various issues the organization supports and doesn’t support. One of these was Gay Marriage. The organization said no, and by their support of this issue in the election they broke the terms of agreement in their Grant arrangement and hence lost funding.

http://media.kjonline.com/documents/eligibility_CCHD.pdf

Technically speaking, this is a cut and dry issue. The Diocese has every right to revoke the monies due to the clear breaking of the original grant agreement, however one can’t help but wonder how the Bishop can sleep at night.

How can we put terms and conditions on something as simple as helping the poor and homeless? In the very same agreement the Diocese clearly says that the top 5 unquestionable things that the recipient of funding must agree with are;

1. The sanctity of human life
2. The rights of the poor and vulnerable
3. Human Rights
4. The Common Good
5. And building and promoting a civilization of love, dedicated to working towards peace.

In the section talking about the Poor and Vulnerable, it says explicitly, “Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.” That tells me that the details of the terms and conditions that follow such as Abortion, Gay Marriage, Birth Control, etc are just that – terms and conditions. The Diocese needs to remember that it is ministering to a world that may not necessarily agree with everything they stand for.

Thank the Lord above, that when Jesus died on the Cross for us, He did so without terms and conditions. Thank God that when the angel Gabriel came from God to invite Mary to be the Mother of His Son she said “yes” without any terms or conditions. Her words, which we celebrate today on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, were clear, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” The next line in the Gospel reads, “Then the angel departed from her.” It was her response, driven by blind faith and love of the Lord and His people that made the Angel feel it was time to leave. It was Mary’s “no terms attached yes” that satisfied the Angel.

I can understand that the Roman Church has certain values that they have to uphold, and I can even accept that Gay Marriage is something that they do not agree with. However, even from the Roman Catholic standpoint it doesn’t make sense to penalize the poor and vulnerable in this situation. When Jesus feeds the multitude with the multiplication of the loaves and fish, He does not ask first if any in the crowd are gay, or have had an abortion, or were in favor of the death penalty. When He heals the 10 Lepers, He does not first ask where they stand on political issues. If the five stipulations that the Diocese of Portland maps out in the first page of their agreement with potential grant recipients are in fact the deal breakers, then the details on page two should be considered in light of how they relate to the primacy of those values.

Even on the second page of the agreement, where the Diocese gets down to the “terms and agreements” it says;

“Preferential Option for the Poor: all economic life should be shaped by moral principles. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring. The Catholic Church’s position is that the needs of the poor and vulnerable in society should be addressed first, before any others. Is your organization hindering or harming meeting the needs of the poor or vulnerable in society?”

If in fact the needs of the poor and vulnerable are to be addressed first, before any other, then doesn’t that say in the Diocese own words, that Gay Marriage should be at the very least second to feeding the poor, and housing the homeless?

The details of what “legal organization” backed what and which “board of directors” supported what should not matter, as the Diocese should not have made such a withdrawal due to this topic. The directors at the Preble Street Resourace Center responded to both the Bishop and the Campaign for Human Development by saying;

“Last night 51 women crammed into our 30-bed temporary Women’s Shelter. This morning over 300 people lined up in the cold waiting for a hot breakfast at our Soup Kitchen. And today over 40 runaway and homeless children came to our Teen Center for services and sanctuary.”

So then due to politics, 51 women will go without shelter, 300 people will go without food, and 40 children will wander the streets with no place to rest. The organization “Catholics for Marriage Equality” has launched a campaign to try to assist with raising some money to make up for what they will loose from Diocesan funding. It is ironic, isn’t it? The Diocese has decided that they are going to put a legal matter regarding Gay rights before helping the poor (which they had previously stated was of greatest importance), and now that same Gay community that they view as so broken, is picking up their slack, and answering the call of the Lord to feed the hungry and cloth the naked.

The words of Matthew 25:34-45 come to mind;

“Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'”

Thank God that the Gay community in Maine is ready to answer the call of the Lord to feed, clothe, and shelter their brothers and sisters. What a demonstration of true Christian charity.