I went to church today,
a place of peace and serenity.
But as I knelt down to pray,
suddenly a man walked toward me.

He spoke of his troubles,
which were not hard to believe.
He was out of work and had no food,
for him I started to grieve.

As he spoke of wife and family,
he said all had been lost.
All due to their poverty,
as he viewed Christ on the cross.

He said he went to the rectory,
for food, clothing and advice.
They gave him canned goods & tried to help,
he said they were very nice.

But his problems were not only these.
He really had no place to stay.
He said it was difficult to find peace,
since most people chased him away.

He had lost his job,
and could not find another.
He asked if I could help,
I said, what do you need, my brother?

Can you suggest a place for me to stay?
I just sat there and started to think.
As he spoke of his problems and more,
my heart just started to sink.

I could really use some spare change,
I haven't eaten & can't remember when.
I really need to eat right now,
we all need to eat now and then.

All of my bills were large,
so I reached in and gave him a buck.
Then I thought how inconsiderate I was,
to a man so down on his luck.

I got up from the pew and looked for him,
but he was gone in such a flash.
I felt so bad about what I did,
because I did have some extra cash.

I went outside but he was gone,
I felt like I really did him wrong.
There but for the Grace of God go I,
I pray his journey is not too long.
 

bobemakk@optonline.net (C)1999

Dedication:
This is based on a true story.
Was it a vision or did it really happen....