Factors beyond my control prevented me from distributing the funds collected for our annual Help Us Feed the Homeless this Christmas campaign until Sunday, January 9. Through the generosity of thirty-five donors, we collected an even $2500, an average of just over $70 each. This enabled us to give twenty-five friends a money envelope containing $100 each.

The dome of the Lord’s cosmic church was grey and dreary that morning, yet the living Pantocrator—not an icon!—looked down invisibly from the heavens in perpetual blessing upon the world that He creates and loves so much.

Christ was present not only “there,” but here, here in the grateful faces and glistening eyes of every street friend I approached. “Put this in your pocket. There’s $100 in there. Happy New Year! God bless you!”

They also seemed to encounter Christ in me, unworthy and sinful as I am. One wizened old man, sitting cross-legged on the frozen cement, shivering, face weather-beaten and long hair tangled in a mess, looked at his envelope with tears forming in his eyes. “I just now asked Jesus to be kind to me, and right away you came along.”

Be kind to me. Is this not the true meaning of “Have mercy on me,” “Ἐλευσὸν με,” “Помилуй мя,” “Ai milă de mine”? Through each of you who offered money or prayer, the Lord had mercy and showed kindness to many of our brothers and sisters in need.

Giacomo Sanfilippo

Most sincere thanks to the following

Grayson Alexander
Fanwood, New Jersey
In Memory of Ted Himlan

John Andres
Whitby, Ontario

Suzette Benson
Jamestown, New York
In Memory of Jerry DeLong

David T. Brown
Central Point, Oregon
In Memory of Carol Shipman

Irene Cassar
Toronto, Ontario
In Memory of Emily Elizabeth Upward and Gabriel Antonio De Sousa

James Chater
Le Mans, France

Rev. Dr. Timothy and Ruth Connor
London, Ontario

Garrison Copeland
Des Moines, Iowa

Gerry Crete
Atlanta, Georgia
In Memory of Jeff Evans

Yvette Cuny
Sacramento, California
In Memory of Charles Cuny, Sr.

William D.
Tampa, Florida

Harry D’Agostino
Lagrangeville, New York
In Memory of Grace D’Agostino

Priest James Graham
Sacramento, California

David and Sarah Habersberger
Columbia, South Carolina
In Memory of Patricia Heriot

Charles Hayter
Toronto, Ontario

Liz Jackson
Toronto, Ontario

Ioanna Karounos
Toronto, Ontario
In Memory of John Keast and Katherine James-Keast

Theodoros Lambros
Sydney, Australia

Yossi Lopez-Hineynu
Chicago, Illinois

Carolyn Mackie
Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Andrew Matthews
Toronto, Ontario

Giacomo Sanfilippo
Toronto, Ontario
In Memory of Joseph SanFilippo, Eugenia Turiansky SanFilippo, and Paul Edward SanFilippo

George Skok
Toronto, Ontario
In Memory of Walter Skok

Bernie Stuckey
Indianapolis, Indiana

Nick Xylas
Bristol, United Kingdom

Anonymous
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Anonymous
Dumfries, Scotland
In Memory of P.R.

Anonymous
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Anonymous
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
In Memory of Jesse Alexander Johnson

Anonymous
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Anonymous
Toronto, Ontario

Anonymous
Toronto, Ontario

Anonymous
Toronto, Ontario
In Memory of L.

Anonymous
Turku, Finland

Anonymous
Washington State, USA

✠