In the Exodus story that we hear this weekend, as the Israelites are escaping the bondage and oppression of their lives in Egypt, as they travel to the promised land, Moses presents God’s law to the people. The laws of conduct that God gives them at Mount Sinai are reiterated again and again by the prophets as the people of Israel repeatedly stray from God and turn their back on him throughout their history.
The widows, the orphans, the poor, the oppressed, the stranger – they were the most vulnerable and the most at risk in the ancient Mediterranean world. Today, in our world and in our own community right here in Clinton, we may think that we can easily identify these members who are most at risk, who are orphans and the strangers of our modern world. Some individuals may feel like they are orphans or strangers in their own community and they are not so readily identifiable. What we see on the outside and on the surface can be so different from the reality that is going on inside a person. We may see someone who appears happy and content, confident and successful in life, but inside they may be struggling just to make it from one day to the next, they may be insecure and lacking in self-worth and confidence.
God tells the people of Israel that if they do wrong against those who are most vulnerable in their society, those they’ve wronged will cry out to God, and God will surely hear their cry. God’s wrath will flare up at the people of Israel, and the Israelites themselves will become widows and orphans. The point of all of this is not to instill fear in our hearts as followers of Christ, to make us afraid of God and be fearful of punishment or retribution. Rather, let us see this message as a call to awareness, to look at how we treat others, especially the least among us in our society. Since it is often so difficult to determine who the least among us are, we are to be watchful in how we treat all of God’s children.
Back on October 4, we celebrated the feast day of St Francis of Assisi. There is a famous story about St Francis and his encounter with a leper. Francis had a fear and abhorrence of lepers. One day, he met a man afflicted with leprosy while riding his horse near Assisi. The sight of the leper filled Francis with horror, but he got off his horse and kissed the leper. The leper put out his hand, hoping to receive something. Out of compassion, Francis gave money to the leper. But when Francis mounted his horse and looked around, he did not see the leper anywhere. It dawned on him that it was Jesus whom he had just kissed. Francis believed that it was God’s still, small voice that told him to stop, reach out, and embrace the leper. Reflecting upon this encounter, Francis wrote in his journal: “When I was in sin, the sight of lepers nauseated me beyond measure; but then God himself led me into their company, and I had pity on them. When I became acquainted with them, what had previously nauseated me became the source of spiritual and physical consolation for me.” What is so wonderful is that Francis’ embrace of the leper was not an isolated occasion. His ministry to lepers became an essential part of his life. He would intentionally go down to the colony of lepers two miles below Assisi. He and other friars continued to minister to the lepers on a regular basis, feeding them and tending to their wounds. This became an ongoing ministry for Francis and the friars.
Many times the message we hear in Sacred Scripture and the stories we hear about the saints gives us pause to think, it gives us a reason to be challenged. This weekend, we also celebrate St Jude, also known as Judas Thaddaeus, He was one of Jesus’ twelve Apostles. Tradition holds that St Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya, that he suffered martyrdom about 65 AD in Beirut, together with the apostle Simon the Zealot. The axe that he is often shown holding in statues and icons symbolizes the way in which he was killed. St Jude is known to help out people in desperate situations, which is one of the reasons why so many of the faithful have a great love for St Jude and a devotion to him. We have a statue of St Jude in our daily Mass chapel at Holy Savior. Let us ask for the prayers of St Jude today on his feast day, especially for any seemingly impossible causes we might have.
No comments:
Post a Comment