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Good morning.听 I wish I knew what to do about beggars!

听

You would think it was easy鈥�just give them some money and go on your way, your humanity expressed and your conscience clear.

But there are so many of them 鈥� grey-faced young men mostly, though sometimes young girls鈥�. who look pretty hard up鈥�defeated.

So, the obvious thing is to give them some money鈥� you might think!

听

Maybe like me, you have a problem with the reality that, if you do that鈥�

you can be pretty sure that when you come back next week,

they will still be there鈥�grubby, thin-faced and ill-looking 鈥�

and seemingly no further down the road towards a better life,

a more hopeful life than they were last week, when you gave them some money.

听

And, try as you might to let compassion be the natural expression of your fundamental humanity 鈥� perhaps, like me, you find yourself wondering why they haven鈥檛 found some better way to deal with their crisis, than to crouch in the cold outside Waverley Station.

听

And you might find it hard not to hearken to the cynical voices that insist that 鈥淎ny money you give, will almost certainly be used to fund their addiction.鈥�

And so the debate swings from compassion, to tough love 鈥� and the caring citizen swithers and agonises鈥�

听

One thing is sure. Whoever the beggar is, and from wherever they come鈥μ� they are some mother鈥檚 son or daughter. 听听And that鈥檚 what makes it so hard, so heart-wrenching;

听

And what is the right response?听

The hard liners who give them nothing, as a point of principle? The ones who sometimes do, and sometimes don鈥檛, and live with the emotional anguish of walking by a beggar鈥檚 outstretched hand?听听 Anyone who thinks it鈥檚 simple isn鈥檛 living inside my skin!

听

Lord, is it really you?

With the scraggy dog and the look of defeat?

What must I do?

Help me, Lord. 听听听Amen.