Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - April 19, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
Anyone living in or visiting one of our big cities encounters beggars, the poor and homeless, street people. They are often divided into the deserving and the undeserving though it doesn't seem to be a distinction Jesus ever made. Typically, they are teenage girls with plaintive voices, hardened old guys with all their belongings in a plastic bag or a shopping cart, occasionally a mother and children. Some carry signs indicating they have AIDS or that they are Iraq veterans. Amid the charm and exuberant life of the city they remind us of the injustices and inequalities of life even if we grant an occasional suspicion that some are hoaxes.
In the midst of our comfort, it's good for us to be reminded of this and of how well off we are, no matter how sorry we feel for ourselves at times. Virgilio Elizondo writes: “The role of the powerless is to evangelize the powerful.” Whether they say anything or not, like Lazarus they lie or stand outside our homes and businesses, pricking our consciences. They tell us that all is not well. They also preach generosity to us. Figures on charitable giving show that the poor give more proportionately than do the wealthy. Stories abound too of how the poor are so willing to share. Possibly the recent virus will have taught us all more compassion.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
