The Poor

11-07-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

As Christians, we hear a lot about the witness and service that we are called to render to the poor among us. However, the poor also have a witness and a service to render to us. Like the actions of the widow in today’s Gospel, the openness and generosity of many of those who are poor, even in the midst of their own poverty, bear witness to the fact that, ultimately, we can depend only on God. Giving one’s all witnesses that God will give all to anyone who trusts in divine goodness.

The poor or disadvantaged also serve. They serve judgment on our individual and corporate ways of acting. If people are sleeping in our streets, that is a judgment on our priorities regarding others. At the same time, the poor can act as mediators of salvation. When they care for others they can redeem our indifference and insensibility, lead us to care as well, and save us from ourselves.