Heaven Belongs to Such as These

Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns leads eucharistic adoration at the Cathedral
Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe Aug. 7, 2019, as 31 lit candles
represent the victims of the El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, mass shootings
Aug. 3-4.  (CNS photo/Jenna Teter, The Texas Catholic)

Heaven Belongs to Such as These

Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

"I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant." Joshua 24:13

Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After he placed his hands on them, he went away. Matthew 19:13-15

Piety

In Jesus Christ, there is no Mexican or black, no Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean or Filipino, no Russian or Italian, African or Salvadoran, no migrant or native-born.

In Jesus Christ, there are only children of God — made in his image, temples of the Holy Spirit, endowed by their Creator with dignity and equality and human rights that must be protected and that no one can violate.

The humanity of others is never negotiable. Men and women do not become less than human, less a child of God, because they are “undocumented.” Yet, in our nation, it has become common to hear migrants talked about and treated as if they are somehow beneath caring about. 

(By Archbishop José H. Gomez, “After El Paso”)

Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns leads eucharistic adoration at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe Aug. 7, 2019, as 31 lit candles represent the victims of the El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, mass shootings Aug. 3-4. (CNS photo/Jenna Teter, The Texas Catholic)

Study

Hard-hearted people meet a warm-hearted Lord.

We start today’s readings with a passage the last chapter of the Book of Joshua – which follows Deuteronomy.  It is the first book after the Pentateuch (Greek for “five books”) and continues the historical narrative from the earlier books. 

Deuteronomy also is where the Hebrew Bible pivots from the flight from Egyptian slavery to the historical establishment of the Israeli tribes on the plains of Moab. As such, it opens up the stretch of historical books that end with Kings and Chronicles.

Joshua took over from Moses on the journey to the promised land. The Book of Joshua is a cautionary tale about what the people are to do and not do in order to avoid the fate of the Northern Kingdom in losing the land.  His book is another part of the Hebrew Bible that only makes it into the canon of the Mass a few times per year (three times this year).

In the end, the people pledge in thanksgiving to serve the LORD as the Lord served them. However, it takes some convincing on the part of Joshua.

Lofty ideals met harsh realities again in the New Testament.  In ancient Hebrew culture, children were not seen as adorable urchins bringing us the opportunity for Hallmark-Kodak moments.  When the disciples thought that the children would be a bother or nuisance to Jesus, the followers tried to free Jesus of any interruptions.

Jesus would have none of that and began placing respect for children and all people and life on the pedestal where they rest today.  

Action

“The way we honor the lives taken at El Paso is to live with true Christian love.” Archbishop José H. Gomez

The words of Archbishop Gomez echo for me in today’s readings. His essay on “After El Paso” in https://angelusnews.com/voices/archbishop-gomez/archbishop-gomez-after-el-paso continues with a suggestion on how we are to respond.  The harsh realities of today are met when we realize we have a generous and forgiving Lord.

Just as there was anxiety in the desert after Moses and Joshua died, and there was anxiety among the disciples when Jesus was spending time with the children, Archbishop Gomez points out that there also is anxiety today for many reasons.  The question for us is how will we respond.

Jesus calls us to find him in the poor and the migrant, the prisoner, the homeless, and the sick. He calls us to love others as ourselves, to love others as he loved us. The love we show to those who come to us seeking a new life is the love we show to Christ. He does not make exceptions for only the “deserving poor” or for those with the proper papers.

After El Paso, it is clear that this is our mission. We need to help our society to see our common humanity — that we are all children of God, meant to live together as brothers and sisters, no matter the color of our skin, the language we speak, or the place we were born.

The way we honor the lives taken at El Paso is to live with true Christian love.