Newsletter: December 2023
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
Setting up the nativity scene is always one of the highlights of our celebration of Christmas. Our set was made by Rose-Anne Monna, a Canadian artist and friend of our community (photo below). We have the stable, the sheep and donkey, Mary and Joseph, and then front and center, the manger with the Baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes.
It is beautiful to look at, but if we look closer, deeper, at the Child of Bethlehem, asleep in His crib, what do we see?
We see the tenderness of God, with the softness and gentleness of every baby, who only wants to be loved, who passes judgment on no one.
We see the humility of God, who emptied Himself of glory and power, finding comfort in the poverty of a stable, not standing above anyone on a pedestal of pride.
And we see the vulnerability of God, with no walls, literal or figurative, to shield Him, being both defenseless and disarming, trusting and accessible, letting anyone come close.
St. Charles de Foucauld wrote: “Imitation is inseparable from love. Whoever loves wishes to imitate.” To prepare for Christmas we can put into practice what our Infant Savior teaches from the crib. We can show tenderness to each other in little ways, be humble in our conduct, and let our hearts be vulnerable to the suffering of others, no matter who they are.
Showing our care for other people makes Christmas more meaningful and more joyful. We are glad we can count on you to keep the mission of the Joseph House going—at Christmas and every day of the year.
The Joseph House Crisis Center is extra busy this month because we are giving away Christmas toys and winter hats and gloves to hundreds of children. But there are always many people who need help with housing, utilities and other necessities. Each person’s story is unique, although there are common themes: infirmity, very low incomes, and living with diminished opportunities. Options run out quickly for the poor, so they come to us. We can offer assistance because of your support.
Meg, 25, experienced a terrifying ordeal. When her car broke down along the road, she called for help and then stood outside to wait. Suddenly, a passing truck hit her car and sent Meg flying through the air. A police officer witnessed the accident and radioed for an ambulance. Meg was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. She is back home now, but still needs on-going physical therapy. Returning to her job at an assisted-living facility is a big question mark. Meg came to see us because she had did not have enough money to pay her rent. She and her young daughter were being threatened with eviction. We immediately sent $375 to Meg’s landlord.
Khloe, 32, and her four children have been without a permanent address for a year because she lacked a steady income. She did have a job for a while, but it involved driving her car for hours every day. Her car is old, and Khloe was worried it would break down and then she would be lost. She found a new job at a fast food restaurant, but there was still another hurdle facing her: the extraordinarily high cost of housing. To get her family out of temporary lodgings and into a rental apartment required a security deposit of $1,350. Khloe only had $700, and after begging with the landlord he relented, provided she come up with an additional $250. We dispatched a check for that amount.
Emmitt, 62, is suffering from blood cancer. He was homeless, and a bed in a shelter was giving him short-lived relief from the harshness of the streets. With our contribution of $250 toward the security deposit, Emmitt now has a little cottage in a senior housing development to call his own.
Hannah, 62, has Parkinson’s disease and exhibits pronounced body tremors. Her condition qualified her to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Nevertheless, Hannah doesn’t feel helpless and found a part-time job in a hardware store. She earns about $300 per month. This little paycheck, however, caused her SSI to drop from $941 to $365 monthly! Hannah has been protesting this cut with Social Security, but has not made any progress. In the meantime, she fell behind in her rent. We sent $400 to her landlord.
Harold, 75, had the water shut off in his home. His rent takes most of his $750 Social Security check each month. He couldn’t afford to pay all of his water bill ($121), and even if he did he couldn’t use the water anyway since he needs to have $250 worth of plumbing repairs done. We paid both bills in full.
Fatima, 29, also had no running water. She lives with her son and her father, who is disabled. Fatima was out of work for a few weeks and the family’s only income was the father’s monthly Social Security of $900. Their rent is $875 so nothing was left over for other bills and the water was shut off. Fatima will be starting a new job as a nursing assistant. We paid $400 toward the water bill.
Whitney, 25, has two children and works full-time. Her youngest caught COVID-19 and RSV at the same time and was in critical condition. The child was transported to a hospital in Washington, DC and was treated there for three weeks. Whitney took unpaid leave from her job because she was driving back and forth to the hospital. Living paycheck-to-paycheck, she immediately fell behind in her bills. We paid $300 toward the rent so Whitney would not have to worry about getting evicted.
Ida, 67, was working part-time to supplement her Social Security. She stopped four months ago after hurting her back. After receiving a cut-off notice from the electric company, Ida applied for help at an agency that administers government grants. She was denied because her income last year was just over the limit. Thankfully, there is no red tape at the Joseph House and we helped her with $350.
Peace in the world is not an impossible dream. And we are never helpless to bring it about: peace begins with each one of us. As you know, the news from the Middle East has been devastating. It’s hard to comprehend. We pray for all victims of war and an end to the downward spiral of violence. May we let the Prince of Peace reign over our hearts.
Keeping the light of Christmas shining brightly is so important—we all need it. With our deepest gratitude, we thank you for your prayers, donations, and all the ways you support our ministry. You make the world a better place by being faithful to your responsibility to other people.
From all of us at the Joseph House, we wish you a very happy Christmas and many blessings in the New Year! Together we go forward in hope.
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
Christmas can be a time of many different feelings. What fills your heart? Send us your special intentions and we will pray for you: Contact Form
Your donation will help those who need housing, utilities, food, and other necessities. We depend on you and appreciate all that you do to support the work of the Joseph House: Donate
The manger reminds us that Jesus was surrounded by nothing but love: Mary, Joseph and the shepherds; all poor people, united by affection and amazement, not by wealth and great expectations. The poverty of the manger thus shows us where the true riches in life are to be found: not in money and power, but in relationships and persons. . . .
Certainly, it is not easy to leave the comfortable warmth of worldliness to embrace the stark beauty of the grotto of Bethlehem, but let us remember that it is not truly Christmas without the poor. Without the poor, we can celebrate Christmas, but not the birth of Jesus. Dear brothers, dear sisters, at Christmas God is poor: let charity be reborn!
Pope Francis
Image: The Adoration of the Shepherds, Gerard van Honthorst (1622)