I was watching an episode of a TV show recently and the story of the guest star was a very sad one. His story was brought forth in such a way that one could not help but think of people going through the same thing in reality.
This gentleman went to law school but before he could work as a lawyer he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He would be fine if he took his medication but he described so vividly how terrible it made him feel, that you understood why he would stop taking them. When he was off his meds, he would live in the streets, looking dirty and he became so violent that he took the lives of innocent people. He was brought before a judge but fired his attorney.
He was able to represent himself after taking his medication and was doing an exceptional job but his sister whom he loved dearly and vice versa, spoke for the defense because she knew the only way to help him, was to have him locked away. They needed to make him take his medications, she told the court. She testified of how she found him curled up in so much distress when their parents were still alive. He was contemplating suicide because no one wanted to hire him, not even to do menial work. He said there was no point to him existing. It was a very moving story.
Have you ever walked by a homeless or mentally challenged person and wondered what their story is? We should be mindful that but for the grace of God, this could be our reality. A reality where your life is hopeless every single day, not knowing where you'll sleep and with nothing to eat. Some of us pass them everyday without giving them a second thought. They could have similar stories just like this character whose life took a drastic turn through no fault of his own. He was young educated and was on his way on a career path he worked hard at achieving. "Life has a way of throwing us curve balls, as my late husband would put it.'
There was one guy in my neighborhood like this. I remember him clearly because though he was mentally ill, there was something else that stood out. He had the voice of an angel. You could not help but ask him to sing something occasionally. His song of choice would be, "amazing grace will always be my song of praise, for it was grace that bought my liberty." You were left in awe as he sang. As a child I didn't think much of his situation. He could have been on his way to becoming a well known singer but his life took an unforeseen turn.
This made me think of the story of the rich man and Lazarus in (Luke 16.) The rich man lived in luxury and comfort during his life on earth but Lazarus was a poor homeless person at his gate, begging for something to eat. He was filled with sores which dogs came and licked. Both died and we all know where each ended up. The roles were reversed and Lazarus was now in a better place.
Let us remember to continuously pray for those who are unable to pray for themselves as we go about our lives. The forgotten, including the homeless, the mentally ill, the orphans, the physically and mentally disabled, the very poor and those who suffer from addiction. While we need to be cautious because of dangerous situations, we must remember that Jesus died for all including the Lazaruses of our time.
Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
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