In this meditation series we are asking the question: How are we being called to imitate Christ in the way He encounters others? Jesus was someone who was rather famous (Luke 4:14). However, He did not abuse that fame to win favor with the upper class. Instead, He revolutionized the status quo by preferencing the poor. This cannot be taken for granted. Jesus’ demeanor, especially regarding His approach to the poor, must become ours as we strive to love like He did.
While it is certainly true that we are all poor in our frailty and mortality, and poor in spirit relative to God’s abundance, the type of poor that we will focus on in this meditation is the poverty resulting from societal structures of exclusion where there is a growing tendency towards inequality. People are being excluded from the sharing of goods and services and this keeps them pushed to the sides on the margins of society. The poor were Jesus’ favorite people to encounter. Even when John’s followers asked for confirmation that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, Jesus responded by pointing out how God’s plan of restoration was taking place.
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleaned, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:4-5).
Jesus rooted His messianic identity in the practice of, first and foremost, bringing the good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).
This should not be taken for granted. In Ancient Times, poverty was seen as a result of sin and being unfaithful to God. Conversely, richness was seen as a sign of God’s blessing for faithfulness (Genesis 26:12-14). We see this paradigm start to shift in the Bible (Wisdom literature and Books of the Prophets). There was a crisis in this mentality of retribution. Job was a man who was faithful to God yet he got sick and lost all of his wealth, not to mention all of his loved ones. The author of Ecclesiastes questioned how there are good men who are poor and bad men that are rich (Ecclesiastes 9). It could no longer be believed that someone’s poor condition results from their unfaithfulness to God.
This crisis of mentality made way for a spiritual attentiveness to the poor. Isaiah announced that the Lord has mercy on the poor (Isaiah 49:13). The Psalms underlined how God hears the cry of the poor and saves them from all their distress (Psalm 34:7). Jesus embraced the spirituality of the poor by teaching that those who were afflicted, like the man born blind, were not so because of sin but so that the works of God might be made visible through them (John 9:3). However, something stands out about Jesus’ approach to the poor. He doesn’t just talk about the love God has for the poor and marginalized, He puts it all in action. It is Jesus, God made man, that is seeking them out, calling them by name, listening to them, and loving them.
Where do we find ourselves today as disciples of the Teacher? What principles of Catholic Social Teaching should be moving our hearts, minds and actions?
“As followers of Christ we are challenged to make a fundamental option for the poor – to speak for the voiceless, to defend the defenseless, to assess lifestyles, policies and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor…Decisions must be judged in light of what they do for the poor, what they do to the poor, and what they enable the poor to do for themselves. The fundamental moral criterion for all economic decisions, policies, and institutions is this: They must be at the service of all people, especially the poor.” (USCCB, Economic Justice for all, 16,24)
It cannot be much clearer: We are to prefer the needs, concerns and decisions of the poor and vulnerable people above our own. However, a call to responsibility does not always inspire us. It can almost shift us towards inaction and becoming weak at the knees under the pressure this call stirs in us. We can feel inadequate in the face of all the material poverty we encounter.
Where do we start?
The same person that said, “If you can’t feed one hundred, feed just one” also said we can start with doing small acts with great love. St. Mother Teresa knew that small acts of love stem best from a direct encounter with people.
“The great tragedy in the Church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor” (Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, 113-14). When there is no direct encounter, acts of charity can become impersonal. Jesus and the saints, however, demonstrate that it is the personal relationships that help us serve the poor, and serve with love, compassion and generosity.
When I was in college I was asked to help distribute meals to people in need. I found myself inspired to return repeatedly because of the relationship I formed with a very poor elderly woman named Georgia. She had an incredible faith and love for the Lord! More recently, I attended a potluck lunch in a park intended to help form relationships with less-privileged people in the area. I had an amazing conversation with a man who once was a Bible study leader at his church. He had suddenly lost everything after a terrible event in his life. I returned home reflecting on how quickly life can change course for any one of us. I received greatly from my encounters with these two beautiful individuals.
It isn’t sin that leads one into poverty just as it isn’t an impersonal act of charity that pulls one out of poverty. Only Jesus can teach us the way to deep love for the poor and profound identification with the poor. During His ministry, He preferred the poor because they were most open to receiving Him and His Gospel message. We have so much to learn from everyone, but especially from those who teach us how to have this attitude of faith and receptivity.
Suggested concrete resolution:
Purposefully reach out to meet a stranger that you perceive might be facing a form of poverty. Have a conversation and take careful consideration to remember their name so that you can pray for them but also chat again.
Go Deeper: If you are looking for more inspiration to go out and live in imitation of Jesus’ approach to the poor and vulnerable, you won’t regret reading the book: “Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World” by Brandon Vogt.
This month’s meditation is by Sr. Tatum, AVI.
