Remember the Poor and the Needy

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Paul the Apostle Church

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Today’s gospel taken from Luke 14:1, 7-14 can easily be divided into two sections: In the first section, Jesus warns against sitting in the place of honor at a wedding banquet. In the second section, he asks us to consider extending invitation to those who may not be able to invite us in return- that is, the poor and vulnerable. So in this gospel, Jesus gives us an instruction on how we should behave when we are a guest to a party, and when we are a host of one. But his words in this gospel are not just a moral lesson or about etiquette (good manners). What Jesus is saying today goes beyond social occasions; it’s meant to shape the entire life of a Christian. His teaching is the basic Christian virtues of humility and solidarity with the poor.

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor.” We all want to be recognized. We all want a place of honor. We want a place of comfort and safety. But Jesus cautions us to be mindful of how we go about searching for it. He urges us to refrain from crowning ourselves kings and queens. In most societies, the king or the queen is chosen. No one confers the honor on herself. The place of honor is given and not taken.

“When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or your wealthy neighbors (alone) in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather... invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” Rather than limiting our guest list to people who are like us, people with whom we are comfortable with, who do not threaten us or bother us with financial request, Jesus wants us to expand the list. When you throw a party, invite the poor around you. If you live in an exclusive neighborhood where the poor are hardly seen, consider giving some money or other material things to organizations that cater for the poor, for example, the Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society, etc. 

The Lord’s teaching in today’s gospel appear difficult or even impossible. But do you know what Jesus is essentially saying here? He wants us not to forget the poor. In the enjoyment of life, in the celebration of life, even at the peak of our careers, do not forget the not-haves. The Catholic Social Teachings emphasize making a deliberate option for the poor and vulnerable. The poverty of the poor, the wretchedness of the poor does not strip or deprive them of their human dignity. They are still humans created in God’s image.

So today’s gospel is a basic moral test on how the most vulnerable members of the society are fairing. In our society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, Jesus calls us to remember the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. “When you hold a lunch or a dinner….” remember the not-haves. When you are hungry, remember those whose daily experience is that of daily hunger. When you buy new clothes in order “refresh” your clothes closet, remember those who wear the same clothes almost every day with little or no hope of buying a new one. If you are able to save some money in your bank account after all the bills are paid, think of those who never went to the bank because they have no bank account and have nothing to save. If you were affected by the recession, remember those whose daily lives is a life of recession and depression. Jesus wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labor, but he also wants us to remember the pains of those who are not as fortunate as we are. Remembering or thinking or considering the poor is not merely having them in your thought. It is not just a mere feeling of sympathy for them. It is rather an active compassion or a compassionate action, the type that brought the Good Samaritan to the side of the man beaten mercilessly by robbers as he walked from Jerusalem Jericho (Luke 10:25-37).

And you know what? Jesus did not tell us to do what he did not do. Throughout his earthly ministry, he lived for others. Repeatedly, he avoided comfort zones instead made choices for the benefit of the poor. Everything that Jesus accomplished on earth was for the salvation and well-being of others. He opted out of the comfort zone in order to make others comfortable. And he invites us to do the same.