Befriending the Poor

Imagine that you come to the gates of heaven and St. Peter asks you to name three poor or marginalized people who could be your character witnesses.  Can you name names? 

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to invite the poor, the lame and the blind to our banquets or special dinners…He says: “Don’t invite people who can repay you.” (Lk 14:13) I take this to mean that Jesus wants us to become friends with the poor not just give them something…or He wants us to include people in our circles who just don’t seem to fit. 

I admit that I haven’t done that very well.  I’m good at writing a check to Habitat for Humanity or to St. Vincent de Paul. I’m glad to bring food to the Sharing Sunday collection.  I take used clothing and other items to Goodwill.  But do I actually have friends who live on the margins of life? Do I invite them to lunch or just sit down and talk to them for a while?

Make a little list of people you know who seem to live on the edges, people who aren't always included in groups. Make an effort to connect with them. Be open to discovering God in them.  My gut tells me it will be easier to do this, if we think about our own poverty and the ways we don’t always fit in.

                                                                 The Narrow Door

The question to Jesus was:”Are there only a few who will be saved?” (Lk 13:23)   Realizing that the questioner assumed that he would be one of the saved, Jesus answered: “Strive to enter thru the narrow door.” (Lk 13:24) What did Jesus mean by that?

Maybe the curious man was too self-righteous to fit thru the narrow door.  It could be that Jesus hopes the guy will put his self-righteousness on a diet.  Then he’ll fit thru that door.

What could stop me from fitting thru the narrow door to eternal life?

Is my ego too big?  Am I too full of myself?  Is my life too focused on stuff? Am I overly focused on my security?  Do I need more than the ‘daily bread’ that I ask for in the Lord’s prayer? Am I too judgmental?  

Take 5 minutes to pray. Ask Jesus what kind of diet He recommends for you and me?

Extra credit: Read Flannery O’Connor’s short story entitled ‘Revelation’.  Ruby Turpin needed a hit on the head so she could enter the narrow door.

                                                             An Imperfect Blessing

On Sunday I saw a good movie about Florence Foster Jenkins, an influential socialite of the 1940's.  She lived with the delusion that she was an excellent singer.  In fact her singing was about a 2 on a scale from 1 to 10….1 being awful.

But she was lovable. I was touched by the movie and her story.  In spite of her many sour notes, there were people whom she loved and who cared deeply about her too. 

Two weeks ago I heard about a book called: The Spirituality of Imperfection, by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham.  I never thought of ‘imperfection’ as a good thing.  But now I like that idea.  The truth is that I will always be anal-retentive and stubborn and worried about something …it’s just me.  Those are some of my sour notes…part of the total package of ‘Ron’.    

I’m so grateful that God and some good friends love that total package.   

Describe the total package that you are.  What are your ‘best’ imperfections?  Who loves your gifts and your sour notes too?

                                                                Wearing an Apron

A brief parable in Luke’s Gospel tells us to be prepared for the master’s arrival. (Lk 12:35-40)  It says that, when he comes in the middle of the night and finds the servants awake and ready, the master will be very pleased. In fact, he will be so pleased that he will put on an apron, have his servants sit down, and he will wait on them!

“Put on an apron” is Luke Timothy Johnson’s rendition of the words that others translate as “he will gird himself”. “Put on an apron” captures more of the surprise at the reversal of roles.  The master becomes the servant.

Did you know that a common title for the Holy Father is ‘The Servant of the Servants of God’? The point is that we are all servants of our Master. And yet our Master “has come as a servant among us”. (Lk 22:27) And He also washed the feet of His disciples.

What does it mean to be a servant? Whom do you serve? How is the Lord your Master?  How did you serve Him yesterday?  Name a way that our Master recently 'put on an apron' to serve you.

                                                   He Was Free, but He Wasn’t Free   

Servant of God, Augustus Tolton, was the first recognizable black priest in the United States. (‘Recognizable’ means there were 2 earlier priests who passed for being ‘white’.)

Augustus was born in Missouri in 1854.  His family was owned by Catholics, who had their slaves baptized. “Slave” is noted on his baptismal record. His father died early in the Civil War. His courageous mom fled with her three children, crossing the Mississippi to the free state of Illinois, settling in Quincy.

To the chagrin of some church members, the Irish Pastor of St. Peter’s welcomed the Toltons.  In time, he saw that Augustus had a vocation.  But no seminary in the US would accept him.  Unfazed by that, the Pastor arranged Augustus’ acceptance in a seminary in Rome where he was ordained in 1886.  Afterwards Fr. Tolton returned to Quincy.

Fr. Tolton was a good priest, but other priests wouldn’t accept him.  So he was sent to Chicago. He ministered there until July 9^th, 1897, when he died of a heat stroke.  He is buried at St. Peter’s in Quincy.  I recently visited his grave. And I’m so touched by his story.

Although Augustus’ slavery was much different than ours, what enslaves you?  What/who helps you be free?  Who loves you when others won’t? How are you free but not free?