Changing our little piece of Ground

This afternoon, a verse from Matthew 25:35–36 touched my heart and gave me pause for reflection. I do not write as a saint or a scholar, but simply as one human being who has witnessed both the beauty and the shame of Canada.

The scripture reads: “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.”

These are not merely ancient words on a page. They are a living call to action—a reminder that love is more than words or good intentions. Love is expressed through food, water, shelter, compassion, and simply listening someone in need.

As I reflected on this passage, a song from the 1980s came to mind. It tells the story of a woman crying out for help, hungry, cold, and unseen. A man on the street chooses to turn away, whistling as though nothing is wrong, embarrassed by her very presence.

That song, much like this scripture, challenges us to look beyond the story itself and examine our own hearts. It asks us to consider who we choose to be when confronted with another person's suffering and misery.

Compassion, Dignity, and Hope is that too much to hope for?

Today, through the Housing and Harm Reduction work I share with others, I encountered a man who was clearly struggling. He was distressed, vulnerable, and crying out in emotional pain. I gently encouraged him to clothe himself, and as he did, he began sharing his story through his tears.

He explained that he had been released from prison without the medication that helped him manage his mental health. He did not want to return to the substance use that had caused him so much pain, yet he feared he might find himself struggling again over the weekend. He wanted something many of us hope for in our own lives: freedom, stability, and the opportunity to live a healthier life. But the support he needed was not available until Monday morning.

His story haunts me; we live in a G-7 nation. But here was a human being who wanted to make a change, yet found himself facing days of uncertainty while waiting for help.

This is a reality we cannot afford to ignore. Too often, people experiencing homelessness are labelled as “street people,” as though their struggles somehow make them less deserving of dignity, respect, and compassion. We may wish to move their suffering out of sight, away from our streets and our daily lives, but looking away does not make the problem disappear.

Our faith, our conscience, and our shared humanity remind us of something much more important: these are our neighbours. They are someone's sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. They are people with stories, hopes, disappointments, and dreams of a better tomorrow, and in reality, facing an early grave.

We may not be able to solve the challenges of poverty, addiction, homelessness, and despair overnight. However, each of us can make a difference. Sometimes, that difference begins with something as simple as stopping to listen, offering a meal, providing clothing, or treating someone with the respect they may have been missing for far too long.

If more of us chose to pause, listen, and respond with compassion, perhaps we could begin bringing light into places where hope has disappeared and been replaced with fear, desperation and despair.

We are called not simply to turn away from suffering, but to turn towards those who are experiencing it. For me, the words of Matthew 25:35–36 remind us that caring for those who are hungry, thirsty, vulnerable, or imprisoned is not just an act of kindness. It is an expression of our love for God and for one another.

The challenge is not to feel sorry for people, but to recognize their dignity and stand alongside them. Compassion means more than feeling concern; it means being willing to respond in whatever way we can.

Imagine a World Where Compassion Comes First

Let us pause for a moment and consider the familiar invitation offered by the song: “Imagine all the people…”

Now imagine what our communities might look like if each of us allowed love, faith, and compassion to guide our actions. Not only through grand gestures or generous donations, but through the everyday choices we make to help another person feel seen, valued, and respected.

What if we each gave just a little of ourselves?

Perhaps it might mean volunteering a few hours at a shelter or soup kitchen. It could mean helping someone find the right support service, offering a warm meal, listening without judgment, or simply standing beside someone who feels forgotten.

Not everyone has money to give, and not everyone has the time or ability to volunteer. But many of us can offer a kind word, a moment of patience, or a willingness to treat another person as an equal. All of us could write our politicians and leaders to promote a kind change in what we do or do not do.

Love is not measured by the size of our contribution, but by the sincerity of our intentions and the care we show others. Justice is not found only in courtrooms or government policies. It is also reflected in how we treat people in our everyday lives and how we respond when someone is struggling.

Imagine if every neighbourhood, every community, and every city made room for that kind of compassion. Small acts of kindness could become places of hope, helping people find the support, connection, and encouragement they need to take their next steps forward.

Perhaps it begins with one person reaching out to another. One person choosing to see beyond an addiction, a diagnosis, a criminal record, or a person's current circumstances. One person recognizing that a difficult chapter does not have to define an entire life.

And perhaps, together, we can help reconnect people who have become separated from the safety and belonging that many of us take for granted.

A Shared Responsibility

Whether you are Christian, Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, follow another spiritual path, or have no religious faith at all, we can share a common commitment to compassion and human dignity.

We may hold different beliefs, worship in different ways, or see the world through different eyes, but we can still agree that every person deserves to be treated with respect and that no one should be forgotten simply because life has become difficult.

Together, we can recognize the worth of every human being and extend a helping hand where despair has taken hold. We can encourage better access to support, advocate for compassionate services, and help create communities where people have a genuine opportunity to rebuild their lives.

The measure of a society is not simply its wealth, its power, or its achievements. It is also reflected in how it treats those who are struggling and how willing its people are to stand beside those who have the least.

We may not be able to change the world in a single day, but we can change someone's day. We may not be able to solve every problem, but we can help someone take the next step towards safety, stability, and hope.

Let us choose compassion over judgment, understanding over indifference, and action over empty words.

One act of kindness. One open heart. One person allowed to begin again.

That is how hope grows or evil withers. That is how communities become stronger and prosper. Maybe, just maybe, this is how we can help make our world a little more caring, a little more just, and a little more reflective of the love we hope to see in it.

About the Creator

Bruce Curle is a writer in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia; he is an SRO worker and Harm Reduction worker.