Lectio Divina: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” — Cf. 2 Cor 8:9

REFLECTION

Today’s Gospel convicts us about how we treat the poor and what it means to neglect them. We can have all the goods on the earth – a nice house, a fancy car, the latest model of the hottest phone, the fastest gaming system – and still lack something bigger than all of those things  combined: love. We can judge the rich man in the Gospel, but we also don’t realize we often act in the same way that he does. We neglect the poor and needy. We turn away at the homeless person on our way to work. We look the other way at the old vet begging for some change. We tense up when we have to walk by someone sitting with their hands out. But they are Jesus – and we are called to be Jesus to them.

Whatever we do for the poor we do for Christ. When we ignore them, we ignore God. When we serve them, feed them, or ask their name, we recognize their dignity. As we go on with our week, let us take time to not only pray for the poor, let’s actually schedule time in to serve them in a concrete way. There’s always opportunities to serve beyond the holiday season. You can jump in anytime at a soup kitchen, a family shelter, or simply by carrying some snacks in your car to give away. Do we want to spend eternity celebrating with those we helped out, or regretting not stopping to help? Let’s pray with that this week.

QUESTIONS 

1. Do I love the poor?
2. Do I love the poor both in word and deed?
3. When was the last time I served the poor?
4. Have I ignored anyone on the streets?
5. Do I see the face of Jesus in the poor?