A House of Prayer

November 21, 2008

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take and swallow it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.” Revelation 10:8-9

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’” Luke 19:465-46

Piety

Father in heaven, on this feast day of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, help us remember your words that ring out and proclaim, “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother.” Brother Jesus, remind us to follow the will of the Father and not the whims of the marketplace. That marketplace sometimes ignores the human and moral dimensions of life, especially during this current financial crisis. Holy Spirit, help us to achieve greater responsibility, accountability and transparency in our man-made institutions and laws.

The principle of solidarity in Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that we are in this together and warns us that concern for narrow interests alone can make things worse. The principle of solidarity commits us to the pursuit of the common good, not the search for partisan gain or economic advantage. Protection of the vulnerable – workers, business owners, homeowners, renters, and stockholders – must be included in the commitment to protect economic institutions. Guide our political and religious leaders as we ask that they give proper priority to the poor and the most vulnerable. Amen.

Study

Corruption. When we get our hands on something, anything, we have a tendency to corrupt it. Alter it. Damage it. Distort it. Harm it.

Everywhere we turn today, we find a den of thieves. Banks need bailouts. Insurance companies need bailouts. Airlines are in bankruptcy. Automobile makes are trying to avoid bankruptcy but right now, their private-jet-setting, zillion-dollar-geniuses have not been able to convince Congress to fill up their tin cup.

In the readings, Jesus enters Jerusalem and exerts his authority in the temple to cleanse it of man-made corruption. Jesus met the enemy and it was his own people.

In real-life, AIG said in its quarterly filing that it would allow employees to collect $503 million in deferred compensation. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler CEOs flew to Washington in their expensive private jets to ask for billions in guaranteed money from the government to help its ailing industry.

Just like we must take our medicine (pick up your cross and follow me), business leaders must take the medicine that the markets will dole out to them. Perhaps in time even the auto industry may get needed funds so it does not fall off the face of the earth thrusting millions of workers into unemployment and thousands of communities into deeper poverty.

Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor takes a serious look at who we have to blame and fear in all this economic strife. He identifies the den of thieves that have plundered our economy. As reprinted on the internet, his essay charges:

Instead of statues of a bull and bear on Wall Street, we should erect a Trojan horse, because what's pushed America to the brink of financial disaster was not all those [undocumented workers] coming in and "stealing" our jobs as busboys and janitors and underage laborers in meat-processing plants.

This was an inside job. It was made in America. It was all the hotshot brainiacs, our best college grads, the brokers and bankers pulling in bonuses that weren't just in the hundreds of thousands but in the millions.

Erlandson goes on to note:

I know people who are in this country illegally. They pay their taxes, they work two or three jobs at minimum wage and send money back home to support impoverished family members there.

Yes, they broke the law. Yes, a country has the right to enforce its laws and protect its borders.

But Americans have taken their eyes off the ball. We have not been done in by the strangers among us. We have been done in by our own.

Never has it been more true: We have met the enemy, and he is us.

Certainly words to ponder as we extricate ourselves from our own den of thieves.

Action

Please give generously in the second collection this weekend.

The 2008 collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development will take place on November 22-23, the weekend before Thanksgiving, in most dioceses of the United States. In his announcement of the annual appeal and collection, Bishop Roger Morin, Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans and chairman of the Bishops' Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, urged Catholics to participate.

"The current economic situation is squeezing everyone in our country. For some of us, that means more careful planning when we take the car to do errands, cutting back on restaurant dinners, and postponing discretionary purchases," said Bishop Morin. "For millions of Americans who live on the edge of poverty in the best of times, it means making wrenching choices every month about feeding their families, paying their rent, and getting necessary medical care."

"The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) helps the working poor and others who are trying to keep their heads above these turbulent waters. In the name of all of the Catholics in the United States, CCHD fights poverty and challenges injustice," Bishop Morin said. Please give generously this weekend.

Since 1970, CCHD has supported more than 4,000 small self-help projects initiated and led by poor people throughout the United States. Funds raised during the annual collection have been used in dioceses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Recent CCHD grant recipients include Tenants and Workers United in Alexandria, Virginia.

Image credit: Jesus Drives Out the Money Changers by El Greco.