August 19

If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit? — Jas 2:16

It is written not, “Blessed is he that feedeth the poor,” but “Blessed is he that considereth the poor.” And you know a little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.
— John Ruskin.

So pity never leaves the gentle breast
Where love has been received a welcome guest;
As wandering saints poor huts have sacred made,
He hallows every heart he once has swayed,
And, when his presence we no longer share,
Still leaves compassion as a relic there.
— Thomas Sheridan.

Prayer

Tender Father, help me to consider those who receive the crust of bread at my door; for if it be needed it is asked for by sad and desperate lives. Make me conscious of thy mercy and help, that I may be considerate for the one with the outstretched hand. Amen.