2023 The Art of Living

Kurt Carlson, OLIH Parishioner, writes:

What are your Superpowers?

Think back or imagine a time long ago, before the days of videos. How were kids kept entertained, especially on long car trips? When I was a kid the solution to keeping kids busy was comic books. I had a box of them and read and re-read them until the covers fell off.

That brings us to our fourth cardinal virtue - justice. What is “justice”? How does it relate to Superman’s mission and more important, why is it important for us? In our Art of Living book, justice is described as “Responsibility” and what we owe others: God, parents, neighbors, friends, the community and the poor. It’s outward looking and not about what’s due me.

Traditionally we see justice depicted as a statue of a blind folded person holding balance scales. Seems appropriate as we strive to balance all of our many responsibilities in life. In our modern world we can easily get focused on what makes us happy like movies, concerts, TV, vacations,, money, nice cars, fancy clothing, fine food, etc. etc. etc. As we strive to be ‘just’ our focus needs to be on the needs of others. Superman provides an example of justice for us. He selflessly uses his superpower talents to help others. He’s always saving his friends, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen from the clutches of evil doers, who wind up in jail. You never see him flying to a beach for a vacation or using his strength to win bets.

In the Justice League, you see Superman having the humility and wisdom to work with others to solve bigger challenges that he couldn’t take care of by himself. Now what about us? Who are the villains in our world?

Homelessness and hunger are two that are sadly prevalent in our world. Central Iowa has between 200 and 300 people unsheltered at this time of year. That’s people sleeping in cars or living in tents. And, one in eight people in Iowa experiences hunger. As I sit in my warm, comfortable suburban home with a full fridge and a full pantry, the feeling of injustice weighs heavy. Thoughts go to Luke:

A few years ago, a friend approached me with a story. He’d had a calling from God and felt the desire to feed the homeless people in Des Moines with his bicycle. He wondered if I join him. With our superpowers being simply a batch of burritos, a bag of oranges, a case of water, a little spare time on a Thursday night and bicycles we served a few people living on the streets. No big issues were solved, but a few people were better fed, and cared for. I quickly learned that the care was more important than the food to these people often overlooked in society. We continued to serve people each week.

There were indeed God moments, as if God was letting us know our efforts were blessed. Coworkers and friends learned about what we were doing and they joined us to help. As a result we could serve many more people. The homeless began to looked forward to Thursday nights as the night when the burrito slingers come. We organized as a non-profit - Urban Bicycle Food Ministry. Today, 300 to 400 people are served each Thursday night , where they are. God moments happen with human connections. Each week 700 burritos and 300 sandwiches are prepared. Lots of donations of clothing, batteries, water, necessities and blankets are accepted and sorted. Six teams deliver food on bicycles when the weather is warm and in cars when it’s cold.

Like the Justice League, lots of different skills and talents are needed. About 60 volunteers show up with the super powers of cooking, food prep, donation organization, volunteer coordination, team leading, food delivery and kitchen cleanup. There’s even a job for a pot washer which makes me think of Mother Theresa’s desire to do the lowest job of cleaning bathrooms. This is living proof of Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

Back to Justice.

• How do we embrace this virtue in our life?

• What villains or injustices bother you?

• We each have unique gifts of time, talents and treasures. What are your superpowers?

  Now, go do something about it.