SPOON Reflection from Social Justice

     Matthew 25:40 is one of my favorite verses because it reminds me how everyone deserves equal love.  While Catholicism has certainly shaped me, I think the desire to serve is inherently human; Social Justice is an important concept that goes across all ethnicities, religions, ages, and sociioeconomic status. I enjoy volunteering with SPOON because volunteering is like excercising--actively doing something is the best way to keep yourself strongly connected to the community, and the more you do it, the more natural and intergrated it becomes in your life.

--Natalie

     For a college student, waking up at 6:30 am is not typically desirable. But when we’re all in the kitchen together, I remember why I decided to give up a couple hours of sleep. For me, there’s a certain sense of fellowship that goes along with the SPOON experience; I get the opportunity to spend time with other students working together toward a common goal. There’s an understanding that everyone who cooks and serves feels a need to do something, and not to be complacent with the inequalities that exist. As part of Catholic social teaching, I feel like all of us SPOON volunteers were an extension of Jesus Christ. But whether or not service projects are a part of Catholic social teaching, I believe I would still participate. That our faith can frame the service experience in the light of Jesus’ teachings only gives me more reason to do so.

--Clarice

     It relates to this verse since I am committing time to cook which will benefit the less fortunate. Although they might be strangers, I remember that we are all part of the human community and Gods’ children. And so doing a good deed is helping God’s family, our family, especially those that need the most help. I do service projects because they are fun, fulfilling when you make’s someone’s day, but also engaging to learn about issues that are overshadowed by daily life. Moreover, I feel that I get more in return than what I give, whether it be a growth experience, friendship, or new perspective on life.

--Edwin

     Cooking eggs, bacon, and pancakes with good friends isn’t really much of a sacrifice, even if it does entail getting up at six in the morning. As such, making breakfast for the Palo Alto Opportunity Center this past weekend didn’t really seem like much of a big deal. “Social Justice” is a big phrase, if not for its number of syllables then for all the ideas that it entails. Yeah, this is a crazy, screwed-up world, but we don’t need to be paralyzed by the number of things that are wrong or feel bad because we’re not working full-time shifts at orphanages in third world countries. The littlest things - like making a breakfast for people who are struggling - is an action on the part of those “least of my brothers and sisters”. It takes an effort to realize that even that littlest time or treasure that we give of ourselves is a triumph on the part of love.

--Peter