my first day

I'm in Champaign, IL, now. At the Catholic Worker house here, where Heather and I will be living and working for the next year (at least). They're having a 25th anniversary celebration here tomorrow so everyone's making preparations today.

For my first day here, I think I'll include a couple of my favorite "Easy Essays," by Peter Maurin:

In the first centuries of Christianity
the poor were fed, clothed, and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice
and the Pagans
said about the Christians:
"See how they love each other."

Today the poor are fed, clothed, and sheltered
by the politicians
at the expense
of the taxpayers.

And because the poor
are no longer
fed, clothed, and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice
but at the expense
of taxpayers
Pagans say about Christians:
"See how they pass the buck."





The world would be better off,
if people tried
to become better.

And people would
become better
if they stopped trying
to be better off.

For when everybody tries
to become better off,
nobody is better off.

But when everybody tries
to become better,
everybody is better off.

Everybody would be rich
if nobody tried
to be richer.

And nobody would be poor
if everybody tried
to be the poorest.

And everybody would be
what he ought to be
if everybody tried to be
what he wants
the other fellow to be.

(Happy birthday, Heather!)