The Homeless Food Run last Thursday fell on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is devoutly celebrated by Italians as a national holiday. For example, on their way to the Food Run, a group of student volunteers from The Catholic University of America heard fireworks fired in the direction of Campo di Fiori piazza in honor of the Virgin Mary. Upon arrival at the kitchen above San Bartolomeo's Church where the food is prepared, the students were told that there was much work to be done because of the feast day of the Mother of God. All of the volunteers were lively and energetic. One of the Italian helpers, for instance, proudly recounted what he had done that day, saying that he had bought statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Medjugorje, as well as a statue of Jesus Christ and a large crucifix to place in his room. Another volunteer is a musician and he was handing out free CDs to the volunteers in honor of the Blessed Mother.
Then, the group headed out to the streets to meet the homeless people earlier than usual so as to say a prayer with them before dinner. The infamous Sant'Egidio icon of Jesus that the group brought from San Bartolomeo enclosed the circle of those gathered together. This prayer included an opening song, the reading of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), an explanation and reflection of the reading, an Our Father, the sign of peace, and a concluding song.
After the prayer service, dinner was served and, as always, conversation began. However, the experience of the Food Run was different than ever before. There was an even deeper connection between the volunteers and the homeless, reflected in trusting and confident conversation. The reason for this connection is that not only were they gathered physically, intellectually and emotionally but now were also united spiritually. The importance of this spiritual connection was emphasized starting with the preparation of the food at San Bartolomeo's and later in the prayer which was prioritized as the first activity of the evening. This was the first time at the homeless food runs where attention was not directly concentrated on helping other people. Instead, all of the attention was on God, and this action united the group more than ever. A feeling of equality among all was present because of the fact that everyone-- both the distributors of food and the homeless people-- worships and serve one God. It put them on the same level of dignity.
The effect of this strong connection was shown in that the homeless people were giving away the hot chocolate that they received from the volunteers. There was the spirit of service and generosity towards one another stemming from a recognition of each person's dignity granted by God, and it was manifested by the care that people showed each other. There was nothing that anyone lacked that night, for there is no doubt of the presence of Jesus Christ through Mary at the Homeless Food Run.
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