Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
I can't help but think of this photo in religious terms. The shot was taken by a tourist in New York City. Jennifer Foster came across a man who had no shoes and as she was about to approach him, a police officer came up and had socks and boots for him.
She sent a picture and description of the photo to the NYPD and they posted it on Facebook where it inspired many hundreds of thousands of people.
This is the last week of the Christian church year and our Gospel reading on Sunday was of Jesus' parable of the Ten Virgins. Later on in the chapter in the Gospel of Matthew where we learn that story there is a section that is somewhat terrifying and beautiful. It begins by saying the sheep and goats will be separated. God tells the sheep that they inherit the kingdom:
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
The officer in the photo above has been identified as Lawrence DePrimo, 25. The New York Times has more on him and what happened the night this photo was taken.
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Comments:
Jun '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
I've mentioned this before, but my favorite episode of Cops (a perennial favorite show of mine) is one of the earliest ones filmed in the Seattle area.
The cops are called to what dispatch says is a child endangerment/child abuse call. Turns out the wife has left the husband alone with several kids (I think 4, but I could be wrong), the house a mess, and very little food in the house. (Presumably the wife called in the complaint as well, as one more dig at her husband.)
The cops tell the man he's got an hour to get things cleaned up... then they take that hour themselves and drive to a local grocery store and get some basic staples (along with a few treats for the kids like cookies), paying for them out of their own pockets.
They return to the man's home to find a big dent in the mess, present him with the food, and both he and the kids are very appreciative.
Cops are human too, and they can be as compassionate as any other human. Examples like these definitely need to be highlighted.
Oct '10
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Thanks Molly. This is the truest meaning of Christian charity. Whether Officer DePrimo is a confessing Christian or not, his actions reflect well on himself, the NYPD, and God Himself.
We should all learn to live our lives as though a camera were nearby ready to record our actions. Do my actions reflect God, or merely myself?
Apr '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
I have always suspected that police officers are more involved in graceful, loving acts than we would normally see. The gentleman wth the "grudge" against police who posted earlier should let it go...for his own peace of mind.
Yes, there are bad police officers. In what way is that group of people different than any other group?
Jun '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
I'm afraid I must have missed the post you refer to... can ya give me a link to it?
Apr '11
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Puts a whole new meaning on giving the homeless the boot.
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
ConservativeWanderer:
Cops are human too, and they can be as compassionate as any other human. Examples like these definitely need to be highlighted. · 6 minutes ago
I think it's beautiful that this photo is of a NYPD officer, and I also hope we'd all think about helping out the most needy no matter our other vocations.
Jun '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
ConservativeWanderer:
Cops are human too, and they can be as compassionate as any other human. Examples like these definitely need to be highlighted. · 6 minutes ago
I think it's beautiful that this photo is of a NYPD officer, and I also hope we'd all think about helping out the most needy no matter our other vocations. · 1 minute ago
Isn't that what this is about?
Apr '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
If they're like most other genuinely good folks I know, they prefer to hide it as much as possible.
Two reasons:
There's a large population of folks who, if they'vepegged you as a "nice" person, are going to abuse that niceness.
The point is to do some good, not let people know you're doing good. (This obviously doesn't apply to folks who are trying to set an example-- that's a secondary good, not trying to boost yourself.)
Jun '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Foxfier
If they're like most other genuinely good folks I know, they prefer to hide it as much as possible.
Two reasons:
There's a large population of folks who, if they'vepegged you as a "nice" person, are going to abuse that niceness.
The point is to do some good, not let people know you're doing good. (This obviously doesn't apply to folks who are trying to set an example-- that's a secondary good, not trying to boost yourself.) · 1 minute ago
Matthew 6:2-4, NKJV
Oct '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Great picture and great story. Now his short-term needs are fixed. The problem for me is this: Now what happens to him? Two weeks later when there is a foot of snow where he lives is he better off than if the policeman took him a shelter, or a church, or somewhere warm and then asked him "Where is your home, family and job? Are you on any medication?"
Or at the warm place somebody decided to institutionalize him to sort out his problems and find a way to change his life? If he freezes to death next week what good do the boots do?Now we already have "compassion problem 1": If he's mentally ill we have no way to help him do we?
I'm not expecting an answer since we don;t know the person being assisted. Is he homeless, a drug abuser, unemployed, ill? Is his lack of shoes a result of his choices and we are enabling his self-destructive behavior by doing this for him?We don't know. but the story of the boots is not the end of it, real compassion means the boots is the beginning of it.
Sep '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Thumbs up jkumpire! Meet the immediate need and another surfaces, particularly for a guy who's not wearing shoes in NYC. Inevitably comes the drowning in a flood of need, particularly from a guy who's not wearing shoes in NYC.
Say, how much would it cost to render sane all of the insane homeless people? More money than the state can borrow or spend. Get the picture?
Christ would have cast out the shoeless guy's demons, so to speak. The NYC cop gave him socks and shoes. Both are acts of Christian charity, but which one can the state manage?
Edited on November 29, 2012 at 8:30pmJan '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Nov '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Say, how much would it cost to render sane all of the insane homeless people? More money than the state can borrow or spend. Get the picture?
Christ would have cast out the shoeless guy's demons, so to speak. The NYC cop gave him socks and shoes. Both are acts of Christian charity, but which one can the state manage? · 7 hours ago
Edited 7 hours ago
Lavaux, I can not agree more. Charity is absolutely something we need in our lives, the giving of it and the receiving of it. Charity is something the government is not capable of. If the government gave that homeless man shoos there would be no story here, this is about people, and confirmation that even those with reputations for being able to just shrug off the horrors of city dwelling can still be touched deeply and moved to acts of charity in that environment. I for one was uplifted by the story.
Oct '10
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
ConservativeWanderer
I'm afraid I must have missed the post you refer to... can ya give me a link to it?
Quoted in the NYT story itself, 7th paragraph: "“I still have a grudge against law enforcement everywhere,” wrote one commenter on the police Facebook page. “But my respects to that fine officer.”"
Edited on November 30, 2012 at 4:29amAug '10
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Good thing this was New York, and not Illinois, Maryland or Massachusetts, where you get arrested for photographing a police officer.
Jun '12
Re: Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Although, in New York, you can get arrested for having a police scanner.
Fortunately for us amateur radio operators, there's a federal exemption for ham radios that happen to have a scan function. One of the few times when a federal law overriding a state law is worthwhile, IMHO.