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it is good to have one congregation in the name of the poor, to spoil the poor

Director’s Reflection

Dear Companions on the Journey,

Many of you perhaps subscribe to a daily scripture readings and meditation service.  This last Lent and Easter, we made small meditation books available to all our members.  I have to say that I have personally found them very helpful in my own prayer life and daily homily preparation. Here is one I would recommend for year round meditation: Give Us This Day, published monthly by Liturgical Press.  To subscribe, just go to <giveusthisday.org> and follow the instructions.

Reflecting on Jesus’ rhetorical question “Are you envious because I am generous?” Give Us This Day drew from St. Teresa of Calcutta’s writings (from In the Heart of the World):

At a seminary in Bangalore, a nun once said to me [Mother Teresa], “Mother Teresa, you are spoiling the poor people by giving them things free.  They are losing their human dignity.”

When everyone was quiet, I said calmly, “No one spoils as much as God himself.  See the wonderful gifts He has given us freely. All of you here have no glasses, yet you all can see.  If God were to take money for your sight, what would happen?  Continually, we are breathing and living on oxygen that we do not pay for.  What would happen if God were to say, ‘If you work four hours, you will get sunshine for two hours?’  How many of us would survive then?”

Then I also told them, “There are many congregations that spoil the rich; it is good to have one congregation in the name of the poor, to spoil the poor.”

There was profound silence; nobody said a word after that.

What do you think?

And let us pray for/with one another.
Michael
The Paulist Center