Never forget the cries of the poor

Readings: Amos 2:6-10,13-16, Ps. 50:16-23, Matthew 8:18-22

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)

In a capitalist culture like ours, where money has become many people’s god, humans are bought, sold, and exchanged like slaves. I saw a viral video of a woman who paid to be a dog. There is now a business of harvesting and selling human organs, and many people are drawn in by promises of a better life abroad. Human life has been reduced to a pair of sandals. It is happening right now, just as it was when Amos was alive.

• When was the last time you consciously sought out the lowest of the poor in your community or surrounding area? Do you regard the poor to be a bother, a disruption, or simply dirt that has to be removed from your sight? Think twice. You are not safe as long as someone in your neighborhood goes to bed hungry tonight. In today’s Gospel narrative, Jesus is not ashamed of being associated with poverty. Jesus told the scribe who decided to follow him, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Jesus needed to clarify to the scribe the difficulty of ministry and the absolute requirement of separation from the things of this world.
• Jesus spent his entire life as a poor man. He was born in a manger and interred in a borrowed tomb. He was so hungry once that He and His followers had to go into a cornfield to pluck heads of grain and eat when it was still the Sabbath. Jesus was frequently invited to dine in the houses of the wealthy, but He never attempted to enrich Himself. For example, in the story of Zacchaeus, Jesus did not exact a tithe from him but instead made him repent of cheating others. Meanwhile, in the case of Matthew, Jesus made him one of his disciples. While in the home of a Pharisee, Jesus’ feet were anointed with a costly ointment by a lady with a bad reputation in town. Jesus went to the home of Jairus, a synagogue official, and raised his daughter to life, yet despite all of this, Jesus had no place to sleep.
• As a minister, you’d have numerous opportunities to meet with society’s top leaders. As a minister, it is very easy to make closest friends among the wealthy and powerful, and the temptation is to forget that we are supposed to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in society. Like a clogged pipe, some of us collect but fail to distribute to the poor. Some even go so far as to exhibit material prosperity as if they were competing with one another, which is unacceptable.

Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, give me a tender heart to remember those who cannot afford what I waste every day. We pray this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the union of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity. Amen.