The Dignity to Give and Receive

Another note from one of my mentors, Henri Nouwen, is below.

I'm learning much about myself as I examine my own responses to those I come into contact with - or actually avoid - who are homeless, holding signs that say "Hungry & Homeless" and who don't have the material things I have. I'm moving towards them, and excited to get behind movies like "The Soloist" and websites like Takepart.com. I've always had a strong internal response about handing out money to those with signs on the side of the road, and it's mostly been "if I give him money, he'll just use it on liquor or drugs or something else." But, with some tools, there are other things I can do - and not necessarily monitarily - to engage in, react positively to, and actually help give dignity to those who are on hard times.

The Dignity to Give and Receive - Henri Nouwen

"Nobody is so poor that he/she has nothing to give, and nobody is so rich that he/she has nothing to receive."
These words by Pope John-Paul II, offer a powerful direction for all who want to work for peace. No peace is thinkable as long as the world remains divided into two groups: those who give and those who receive. Real human dignity is found in giving as well as receiving. This is true not only for individuals but for nations, cultures, and religious communities as well.

A true vision of peace sees a continuous mutuality between giving and receiving. Let's never give anything without asking ourselves what we are receiving from those to whom we give, and let's never receive anything without asking what we have to give to those from whom we receive.