When it's hot -- or if it's not -- it's cool to share

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

What could be better on a hot summer day than any icy cold Popsicle^TM?

Two icy cold Popsicles^TM.

An 11-year-old Frank Epperson invented these cool treats in 1905. One cold evening in San Francisco, he left a glass of soda powder and water -- and its stir stick -- on the porch. His drink froze overnight. Thrilled with this new treat, Frank called it the Epsicle. Later, while still in his teens, he marketed his Epsicle. Before he sold the rights to this icy invention to Joe Lowe in 1923, Epperson's own children had changed its name to Pop's sicle.

Popular lore says that, during the Depression, Epperson reinvented his creation. He reshaped the Popsicle^TM -- which sold for a nickel -- so there were two sticks. A chance to double profits? No, it still cost only a nickel; the plan was for children to break the Popsicle^TM in half to share with a child who didn't have a nickel that day.

Since Epperson had sold his rights to the Popsicle^TM (today owned by Good Humor) before the Depression, he probably didn't invent the two-stick model. However, whoever did came up with a great idea about service and stewardship.

Christians have always been taught to share what we have, remembering that all good things come from God. There is no better example than that given by Jesus in the Eucharist. However, the tradition of sharing treats goes back even further in our religious tradition. We can find it during Israel's wanderings in the desert.

When the Israelites needed food, the Lord sent manna every day, except the Sabbath, for 40 years. The Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible describes manna as beautifully white in color and tasting like flour mixed with honey.

The interesting thing about manna was that everyone received just enough for one day: an omer, or about 2-3 quarts. (On the Sabbath, they gathered two omers each.) Exodus (17: 16-20) tells us that people could gather too much or too little manna, but still end up with only one omer. They had to eat it all in one day. If they didn't, it rotted by the next day.

So if you couldn't eat your entire share of manna in one day, it was best to share it with someone. It would only go to waste otherwise.

Just like living in the desert for 40 years, living through the Great Depression of the 1930s wasn't easy. Children of the Depression learned not to waste food. My father told us how his family would find ice in deep ravines in the summer, and eat lard in place of butter. My grandmother raised chickens. And train-riding hobos knew her house as a good place for a meal.

Many people survived the Depression because of the generosity of others. And most people learned that -- when you had something extra -- sharing it with others was a good idea. After all, you never knew when you might need generosity in return. In other words, you never knew who might have a Popsicle^TM to share tomorrow.

This same principle underlies the church's social teachings, based on what we call "the preferential option for the poor." The phrase was coined by the U.S. Bishops in the 1986 pastoral, Economic Justice for All, but appeared in the teachings of South American theologians in the 1970s. Pope John Paul II also used the term in his social encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987).

The bishops reminded us that "the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wound the whole community. The extent of their suffering is a measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons." And, they added, aiding the poor contributes to "the well-being of all" (no 88-91). (Sharing Popsicles^TM doubles the fun for everyone.)

Jesus gave us the Eucharist, his own Body and Blood, as the prime example of sharing in community. We call it Holy Communion because it unites us to God and each other. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, the Eucharist "is the sacrifice of the church"... the lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer and work, are united with those of Christ" (no. 1368). In fact, each time the Eucharist is celebrated, every member of Christ's church -- present or absent, living or dead -- shares in the benefits of that celebration. Everyone's well-being is increased by the sharing.

Jesus gave up (shared to the utmost) his Body and Blood for those of us who were poor. In the same way, we are asked to share ourselves to help the poor.

Whether that sharing comes in the form of a million-dollar donation, the sacrifice of our time and effort for another, or even in a split Popsicle^TM, the benefit is never lost. As the gospels tell us, a cup of water (much less a Popsicle^TM), freely given, will merit the reward of a righteous person (Mk 9:41, Mt 10:42).

That reward -- eternal life -- is a sweeter treat than any Popsicle^TM (even cherry).