Christ in the City is providing much-needed tangible and spiritual food to the forgotten among us.
Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. —Matthew 25:40
This verse from Matthew, and the famous “judgment of the nations” passage that surrounds it, reminds all Christians of the importance of finding Christ in the most needy around us. When we serve others, we serve Christ Himself. As Catholics, we have an even more specific mandate to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, “charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities” (CCC 2446).
In modern America, there are few more in need of both shelter and food than the homeless. Without adequate nutrition, mental health care, employment, and stable family structure, individuals and families are threatened on all sides. As if anticipating these vulnerabilities, the Catechism details that “the corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead” (CCC 2447). Christ’s call is clear: as Christians, we must ensure the hungry—and the homeless—are fed. Sadly, this call can be difficult to heed. A well-meaning Christian can easily avoid or forget about the hungry among us.
One reason for this may be our society’s focus on individualism, which often leads to isolation. The homelessness epidemic is an extreme symptom of this epidemic—our neighbors go unnoticed, unseen, unloved. Pope Francis called the homeless “the invisible ones.” Living on the outskirts of society, people experiencing homelessness are often far from connection that humans are made for. How are we supposed to connect with people whom we allow to remain “invisible”?
Homelessness has many causes, but its root cause is often ruptured relationships. Without a support system to fall back on, bereft of family and friends, individuals are far more likely to lose shelter. Enter Christ in the City, a lay apostolate in Denver and Philadelphia. Missionaries recognize just how harmful it is to feel alone and how vulnerable it leaves someone. Part of their focus in ministering to the homeless is developing healthy relationships and friendships, which many times is the crucial factor in starting a homeless person on the road to recovery.
Christ in the City’s mission is not just to physically feed the hungry, but to love the poor with the full depth of Christ’s love. Christ in the City “is rooted in drawing its participants into an intimate relationship with Jesus, touching what it means to be human: being loved by God in the midst of our own poverty and being called to love those around us in the midst of their own poverty.”
Through a robust formation program centered on four pillars—human, spiritual, intellectual, and apostolic—CIC missionaries are empowered to share Christ’s love face to face with the homeless. Equipped with confidence, spiritual strength, and savvy know-how, the missionaries walk the streets daily, building relationships with the homeless. The young missionaries, ages 18–28, spend one year living an integrated life radically dedicated to serving those in need. They take Christ’s command to feed the hungry very seriously, reaching out with sustenance for both the stomach and the soul.
In Denver and Philadelphia, missionaries host a weekly Lunch in the Park, where “Friends on the Streets” are welcome to enjoy a hot meal, and more importantly, conversation together. Parishes or volunteers are invited to sponsor a lunch, providing food and drinks for many. Every Wednesday and one Saturday per month, over 150 people experiencing homelessness return for shared meals and conversation. Make-shift communities have sprung up in Denver’s Benedict Fountain Park and Philadelphia’s Cathedral Lawn, bringing the homeless and missionaries together to forge relationships and form friendships. Each week, there are also newcomers, seeking food and emotional connection. Additionally, CIC welcomes volunteers of all ages—families, students, seniors—to join the fun, sitting down for a meal with someone who might otherwise remain invisible.
Christ in the City missionaries go far beyond supplying individuals with with food. They also provide something more important and often in shorter supply: love. “It’s not about an ideology, it’s not about a political position. It is simply about bringing the presence of Christ and the love of Christ to those who most need it,” Archbishop Aquila of Denver reminds us. At the core of the ministry is encounter—encountering the other with love so that they are known. And it is in this act of love that they are truly fed, not only physical food but also spiritual and emotional nourishment.
This ministry is a beautiful example of the response to Christ’s promise: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). In the parable of the Judgment of Nations, His words are clear: when we feed the hungry, we serve Christ Himself. Those who fulfill this call are cast to his right and welcomed into Heaven.