August 13, 2007
Monday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
…the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien...So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the
He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you…He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to
Piety
My God, you are awesome indeed. Mighty are your works, and for those I give thanks. Glorious is your creation and I am joyful with gratitude. Wonderful are men and women, the artful work of your hands. Help me show appreciation today for your glory and mercy by extending your welcome and love through my every act. Amen.
Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/081307.shtml
Last week we heard the courageous words of the woman who pleaded to Jesus on behalf of her ill daughter (Mt 15:27): “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Jesus praised her faith and granted her prayer. Today we hear Jesus speak of being exempt from laws imposed by the temple because he and his followers are actually subjects (“sons”) of God’s kingdom. “From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. (Matthew 17:25-26). Yet Jesus also tells Peter that it is important not to create divisions.
Jesus’ Father is the Great God who loves Creation – humanity most of all. The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it. (Deuteronomy 10:14) We must recognize that all honor and attention should be to God and to the Beloved Son who, rejected and murdered, overcame all for each of us. We must make the effort each day to stay open to the grace of God and rejoice in the gifts of God while seeking to close divisions, to heal those who are broken and love those around us (and ourselves) who are less than perfect. In this world, we should seek unity and peace.
We are foreigners to this man-made system even as we call ourselves American, even as Jesus explained that He and his followers are subjects of God’s kingdom rather than the man-made temple system. We “pay the tax” in order not to offend. But we belong to God. Our responsibility is to God’s will and to love others – also God’s creations. We do this through remaining steadfast to the crucified and risen Christ under whose cross the divisions between humans are healed.
Action
It is human live with those who look like us, to work with those who look like us. But God says to love the foreigner – and Jesus certainly did.
Where within myself are there divisions? Who can I reach out to – to learn, to close these divisions within myself? Put unity before stereotypes and rationalizations. Love someone different today.
Sex-slaves (contact your representatives in Congress to urge action in the
Homeless (contact your volunteer center) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070801160.html
Other religions: (InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, interfaith dialogue facilitator training and a unity walk are planned) http://www.ifcmw.org/
Undocumented Immigrants: (Catholic Charities) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101042.html
Persons with Disabilities (Diocesan SPRED programs) http://www.arlingtondiocese.org/offices/livingfaith/spredcenters.html
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