When A Bum Is Not A Bum
I was thinking a lot of Jesus over the days since Christmas Day. I spent some time meditating on the long relationship we have had and how much He has changed me over the decades since my conversion. I have been blessed so much to be held in the palm of His hand and I thank Him for this every single day. I would not be here today if it were not for this fact.
There have been a number of instances where an unseen hand has had a profound impact on my life. I would like to recount an event that profoundly impacted my faith. I was with a friend out shooting some street photography. This was back in the 90s with actual film cameras. We stopped at the Sacred Heart co cathedral in Houston because I wanted to get some shots of the stained glass windows. The church was locked up so we headed to the rectory to find out when it opened. We went looking for the rectory or office to see when and how we might get access to the church to shoot our photos.There was an area we believed that was where we needed to go but it was locked away behind security bars. We took the stairs up to the “gate” in the bars and noticed that just inside of the bars there was a bench against the wall. A bum was sitting there reading a bible that was filled with little bits of paper with notes scrawled on them.
The old Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in Houston TX. Photo from Wikipedia.
He was in his own world. I quietly called out to him and he got up and shuffled slowly to the bars between us. He had a hideous scar across his forehead that ran across the bridge of his nose. His eyes were both missing, just fleshed over empty sockets. Apparently he had an incredible accident at some time in his life. I looked away and then felt sheepish for doing so as he could not see me. Looking at the old injury I wondered how he could have survived. He had an old jacket that might have been a military jacket but to be honest it was so tattered and dirty it was kind of hard to tell. His hair was long and matted and quite dirty. All his clothes were suitable for nothing more than rags and his skin was weathered and scarred. The flannel shirt he was wearing had a pattern almost obscured by grime. When he got to the bars that were between us he looked up, and extended his hand, which I instinctively took without even thinking about it. “We have waited so long for you” he said softly.
He looked up at me and he had the bluest eyes I have ever seen in my life. My friend gasped. It was still the same man but his face was radiant and so beautiful. I knew instantly that my friend and I were looking upon the face of our Savior. There was no indication he had ever been injured. Then, he matter-of-factly gave us the hours the church would open. We stood there stunned for a moment and were at a complete loss for words. When the “bum” turned to shuffle back to his bench I turned to my friend who was already racing to his car. When we left I asked him if he saw that the bum was blind and had no eyes and he confirmed that is what he saw as well. I then asked him if he saw what happened to his eyes and he said yes, they were blue. Shaken we did not talk about the incident for the remainder of the trip. We knew we had experienced a miracle. We did return to take photos I believe but they have been lost to time.
Recently I noticed an interview on Shawn Ryan’s YouTube channel with Sheriff Mark Lamb where he recounts an encounter with our Blessed Lord that is very similar to my own several decades ago. You can check that video out here. Really grateful to Shawn for that interview.
I do not pretend to have all the answers. I am but a sparrow in his hand and I am thankful for the rest there.
