I always feel that my big Christmas Day luncheon with the homeless and needy is spiritual. In fact, sometimes it profoundly moves me.
Last year I sat with a lonely woman who was separated and missing her children. In spite of this, she helped another distressed single mum calm her kids. Each woman found in each other exactly what she was looking for and was grateful.
You see, that’s what makes our Christmas Day so special. People reaching out beyond themselves. Strangers treating one another with loving compassion. It’s the kind of thing that lifts my heart.
The poor, the needy and the homeless turn up - mostly out of their own loneliness – and they find a family they never knew they had. Perfect strangers become friends.
But it doesn’t stop there. Volunteers bring disabled people to our Christmas lunch. Homeless people who usually have such low self esteem they never go near crowds find themselves queuing with others for Christmas treats.
So you see, our big Christmas Day is a truly holy event. It is where, for a little while, people can put aside their cares and share in the love that was meant for us all.
