Do not Close Your Ear to the Cry of the Poor

Tuesday 20th September 2022. Read Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13, Ps. 119:1,27,30,34-35,44, Luke 8:19-21

“He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:13)

Although our first reading today contains a lot of striking proverbial sayings, one that stands out is: “He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” This is a very strong saying.

This particular proverb seems to support the principle of karma or what we understand as the Golden Rule: “So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12). It is not just what you wish but what you do to others that becomes your very life experience.

The word “poor” and “rich” are relative terms. That which others crave a little bit tends to be what which we have in abundance, yet that which we lack is what some others waste. No one has it all, no one is absolutely rich. We are all poor in one way or another. Once we are able to come to terms with our own poverty, we are then able to understand and sympathize with the poverty of others.

One musician sang: “Lean on me when you are not strong because I am going to need somebody to lean on tomorrow.” Sometimes, God allows calamity in our lives, sometimes God makes us experience pain or loss not just for the fun of it but so that when we come out of it, we are able to help and strengthen those who are down.

It is good to play ‘Angel’ at times: Go out of your way to help people in very critical situations and then disappear. Take some money, rush to the nearest hospital and pay the bills of someone who has no hope of paying, then, just leave quietly. Your act of kindness can trigger a positive chain reaction leading to even greater deeds of kindness.

It is good deeds like these that make us Christians. In our Gospel passage, we hear Jesus saying: “My Mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” This means it is by acting on God’s word that we become engrafted into the family of Jesus. By our deeds of righteousness, we become equal to the blood relations of Jesus. 

Let us pray: Almighty ever-living Father, help me live in a manner that truly represents me as a member of your family. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs Bible Study: Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13, Ps. 119:1,27,30,34-35,44, Luke 8:19-21).

© Rev. Fr. Evaristus Abu