In my town, the local board had filed complaints against 50 properties that were in violation of some property codes. It could a barn that’s falling apart, or rusted trucks or cars on the property, or God forbid, the neighbor’s grass is 10 inches high and that’s a violation of the town code. I suggested to a member of the town board that a better solution would be to help these property owners find a grant to clean up these properties like I helped my neighbor get rid of her trash and broken-down garage. In reality, I was grateful to Dan who came with his backhoe and helped me load two 30-yard dumpsters to get rid of all her trash.
Have you ever done something simply on principle, because it was the right thing to do, knowing that you couldn’t explain it to anyone, without there even being a good feeling attached to your act?
Jesus would agree that he makes this both the central tenet of religion and the overriding criterion for salvation. We see this in the famous text in the gospels where Jesus tells us that whatsoever you do to the poor here on earth you do to him. For Jesus, to give something to a poor person is to give something to God, and to neglect a poor person is to neglect God.
They had been asking Jesus: What will be the test? What will be the ultimate criterion for judgment as to whether or not someone enters into the kingdom of heaven or not? His answer surprised them. The religious of his day expected that judgment would revolve around issues religious practice, correct observance, and moral codes. Instead they got this answer:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” (Matt 25:31)
And what, according to Jesus, will be the basis for the separation? Only this: did you feed the hungry? Give drink to the thirsty? Invite in the stranger? Clothe the naked? Visit the sick and imprisoned? Because when you do these things to the hungry, to the thirsty, to strangers, to the sick, and to the imprisoned, you do them to God, and vice versa.
The Jewish prophets had taught us that serving the poor is a non-negotiable, integral part of religion, that nobody gets to heaven without a “letter of reference from the poor.” But Jesus adds: God doesn’t just have a preferential option for the poor, God is within the poor.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who help their elderly neighbors shopping, taking them for groceries or giving them a lift for a doctor appointment. Or, maybe the next time we are walking down the street and someone asks us for a handout, we simply buy them lunch. God is within the poor.
One more idea to practice this message. Our former rectory now houses a hospice for dying residents. It needs donations to continue to provide the best care to the dying and their families. Now would be a good time to secure your place in the kingdom and make a donation, or better yet, sponsor a fund-raiser in your community to support this hospice ministry.
To donate or volunteer contact: Tim Kibler, Director Charlotte House at
585-727-0942 or email timothy.kibler@charlottehouse.org
Make checks payable to: Charlotte House, PO Box 123, North Java, NY 14113.
