Resurrection of the Righteous

Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Feast Day of Saint Charles Borromeo

Gospel of Luke 14:12-14

"....When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;  blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.  For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."


I absolutely adore Pope Francis.  I thank God every day for such a wonderful pontiff in the Holy See.  Pope Francis is now well known for is his ministry to the poor.  Over the summer, Pope Francis invited 200 homeless people to dine at the Vatican .  The delicious meal was held inside the Circle of Peter surrounded by music.  I can  imagine the homeless people appreciated the hospitality even if only for a few hours.

As Catholic Christians, we are all called to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Some people volunteer at homeless shelters.  Others run food pantries for the poor.  Still others will collect used clothing, shoes, and even eye glasses for poor children in foreign countries.  However, there are other Christians who choose to do nothing for the poor.  I can hear the excuses:

"Oh I don't have enough money to give." "I'm too busy to give up valuable time to help."  "Why help that person?  He's lazy and won't get a job!"  "That woman is just abusing the system! She carries around a cell phone.  She doesn't deserve a handout."  "That man smells awful and he's drunk!  I don't want to be near him!"

Just think:  Jesus Christ lovingly ministered to the lepers, the mentally ill, and the destitute much fouler than any person in modern time.  No toilets, no running water, limited hygiene in Biblical times.  These men and women carried diseases much more infectious than what is seen in the American homeless person standing on the street corner.  Ministry to the poor was not an easy task; however, our Lord didn't ignore  poverty. Yes, poverty smells bad.  It wreaks and it destroys.  It's not beautiful.  It's a horrible state in life that none of us choose to be in.

What if one of us suddenly became homeless without food or shelter?  Wouldn't we want someone to help us instead of looking the other way?

Physical poverty consists of a lack of basic needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter we want to avoid. We desire to live comfortable and fruitful lives.  Why not allow Christ Jesus in as a stabilizing rock?

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is such thing as a spiritual poverty that can actually enhance our lives.  Bishop Massimo Camisaca describes it beautifully:

 So you see that poverty is freedom from things, the awareness that it is God who fulfills our desires.  If I place the hope of my fulfillment in possessing a certain thing, I am no longer hoping in Christ, but in that thing.  If, however, I hope in Christ who gives me that thing, then I am free of it.

How refreshing!  Poverty as freedom from material things in order to receive Christ's blessings! This is a positive reminder that when we give ourselves to the poor, the needy, and the homeless we are fulfilling God's desire to help our fellow men. He promises that we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

This holiday season let's not forget the disabled, the homeless, the blind, the lame, the poor, the sick, and the hungry!  Let's minister to their needs just like Jesus.

-J.