I’ve recently had two encounters with homeless men that have left me wishing I had done better.

On my walk home from work recently, I crossed paths with a very friendly gray haired homeless man. We negotiated past each other, but then he politely asked whether I had any money he might use to get something to eat.

My first impulse was to say, “No, sorry.” and move on. But then I thought, perhaps I should be a good Samaritan and put my faith into action. So, I decided to check my wallet. If I happened to have any cash, then I’d give some to him. But I didn’t have any so I apologized and we went our separate ways.

Two blocks later, I realized I could have just gone with the man somewhere and bought him dinner with one of my credit cards. Or, I could have had dinner with him. Spend time with him. Treat him like an actual human being.

By the time I went back to where our paths crossed, he was long gone. I went to the library to see if he was there with the other homeless people, but couldn’t find him. I vowed to be more on the ball with the next homeless person I encountered.

A couple weeks later, I’m in the city running an errand. I’ve missed two buses and the bus I caught was running behind schedule. I’m late and I’m worried about catching my train back home. As I’m waiting to cross the street, I’m approached by another homeless man.

He asks me whether I could spare any money so he could get something to eat. This time I had some cash on me, but I offered him a couple of blueberry muffins in my bag in case I got hungry in transit. He thanked me. The light turned. And I scurried away.

It turns out, there was no way to get back to Ogilvie in time to catch my train and I would have had plenty of time to have a meal with this second homeless man. But in my busyness, I blew past my chance at redemption.

I’ve worked a couple of shifts at PADS. I know that the poor will always be with us. I know that it is beyond my abilities to care for every homeless person in my community. Loving my neighbor as myself means more than polite avoidance. But what exactly does it mean?

Should I have invited that first homeless man back home with me? Should I offer him a spot on my couch? My wife and I have agreed that should I be approached again, I’m going to go share a meal with that person. But is that enough? What would you do?