This year's Australian Catholic Bishops' Social Justice Statement presents the reality of our society's rapidly increasing homelessness. As with previous Statements, this one is well researched and presented in an ordered and attractive layout.
The Statement features personal stories from people living on the streets, presenting a deep spirituality based on Scripture and the spiritual masters which reminds the Church of its Christian duty to help the homeless. The Bishops' Statement highlighted the link between homelessness and mental health issues as a stark reality. From this, we see homelessness is both calamitous for those in that situation and for those of us who are confronted with their public struggles.
In his foreword, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe (SDB), the President of the Bishops' Conference, writes, "Many Australians find it embarrassing and uncomfortable, or even confronting, to see homeless people on the street." Indeed, most of us can identify with these sentiments because not only is it 'hard to see,' but we are also confronted with the “whys” and “how” this is happening in an affluent country like Australia.
The Statement makes its message concrete through the stories of four people: Michael, Sally, Carol, and Luis. These four have endured homelessness for different reasons, but the common link between them relates to their battles with mental illness. The Bishops' Statement points out that when people struggle to pay high rent and increased interest rates, and when the cost-of-living crisis is too difficult to bear, many end up despaired and homeless.
The stories from these four people are important to hear because they explain how easily people fall into homelessness. Michael suffered from depression after the tragic death of his son, he spiralled into drug abuse, mental health issues, and the eventual loss of his home. The cuts in the mental health budget exposed Sally's battle with schizophrenia. When she sought help at a hospital emergency department, Sally was shocked to find herself consulted by a doctor on a television monitor rather than in person. Luis spends his days slow walking, sitting in parks, and greeting people with 'Hello, lovely man' or "Hello, lovely lady." He speaks a truth that those whizzing about do not notice or comprehend. Finally, there is Carol, who lost her husband while preparing for retirement. Since she could not repay the mortgage, at 67 years old, she cleans hospitals to pay for a small room above a pub while waiting for her public housing application.
Building on these stories and using facts arising from the quoted studies, the Statement makes it abundantly clear that homelessness alongside mental health issues is at a crisis point in Australia. Not only is homelessness climbing at an alarming rate, but the resources to provide affordable housing are inadequate due to limited government funding and a system that struggles to cope with some 40,000 youth alone seeking forms of home assistance.
The Bishops' Statement invites us to reflect on how we can witness the Good News and respond to this disturbing situation as the Church. St. Paul suggests that the way we live is the answer (2Corinthians 3:1-3), and this requires "urgent action!"
Firstly, we look to Jesus as the example to follow. Through the crucifix, we are invited to see the compassion of Jesus as motivation to invite the poor into our lives (Luke 14:12-14). Secondly, St. John Chrysostom (late 4th century CE) offers advice on honouring the Body of Christ:
"Do not allow it to be despised in its members, that is, in the poor who lack clothes to cover themselves. Do not honour him here in the Church with rich fabrics while outside you neglect him when he is suffering from cold and naked."(sic)
This quote speaks against performative acts of charity, undermining the dignity of those in need, whose fragile existence in our communities should move every Christian into loving action. This fragility of our common humanity unites us through the sufferings of Christ, who understood what it felt like to be rejected, shunned, and chastised, which enables us to encounter one another with loving authenticity.
The Bishops' Social Justice Statement then emphasises the quality of the encounter called for as we meet each other, rich or poor. The bishops turn to a comment by Iain Matthew,
"It has been said that a person is enlightened not when they get an idea, but when someone notices them. A person is enlightened when another loves them."
In other words, it is only through the experience of being loved by God, often through another 'human', that we can truly respond to another person with love. Thus, our relationship of love with God and others is the basis for us to love the homeless. This Statement speaks of attention to 'the other' as "noticing, knowing and serving;" because seeing them the way God does helps to impact and heal our own hearts.
Getting to know a homeless person means knowing their name and encountering their story, so there is room for mutual understanding about the vulnerability of the human condition. In this way, we can become friends and companions who ease the pain and heal the deep sense of loneliness. In such an encounter, we both serve and are served by people like 'Michael, ' 'Sally,' 'Carol,' 'Luis,' and others like them. In the process, we become not 'we and they' but 'us,' forming the true Body of Christ bound by the embracing love of God.
The Bishop’s Statement invites reflection, allowing the reader to stop and consider relevant questions and discussion topics. These reflection guidelines are great for personal prayer, contemplation, and school and parish group discussions.
Overall, the Statement has inspired me to reflect more deeply and open myself up to engage fully with the homeless and poor. It encourages me to enter their space and share our lives with a spirit of mutual respect. Such an attitude allows one to see more of the gift that the other is to me, rather than what I may be to them. I have heard their 'thank you' when I made an offering, but I am now aware that I need to thank them, not for being poor but for embodying the spirit of humility during their hardship.
May I always remember that the homeless person before me is not a problem to be solved but a person to be met. By acknowledging one another's dignity, momentum is created towards solutions and solidarity in accompanying the lives of people who find themselves homeless and alone.
Let us be pilgrims of hope and remember Pope Francis's words when working with the marginalised and vulnerable: "People at the edges have much to teach us."
Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett lives and works at St Columban’s, Essendon.
