Let’s take this opportunity to examine the way we treat other people and our attitudes toward them
One thing we like to say about our Catholic faith is that we are consistent in what we teach and our values. The Scripture readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time will test that theory to see how consistent we are as Catholics.
Jesus was crystal clear when He told us who our neighbor is. Given the chance to define neighbor as one who shares a common religion, ethnicity, language or country of origin, Jesus defined it in much broader terms. He didn’t talk about legal documented status. He didn’t talk about agreeing with each other on policies or positions. He didn’t even talk about economic status or standing in society. When Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself, He used the story of the good Samaritan as the guideline for the definition of neighbor. The Samaritan, who encounters an enemy in a fragile position, is the neighbor to the one in need. Others who shared a common religion with the injured man did not treat him as a neighbor. Those who had greater social status than the one fallen into trouble did not treat him as a neighbor. All distinctions aside, the neighbor was the one who helped the person in need. That for Jesus was the simple definition of loving your neighbor as yourself.
Our Old Testament Scripture passage from Exodus reminds us that God has a special love for orphans, widows and those who are without status in other countries, called aliens. The book of Exodus reminds us that when those groups of people cry out to God, He hears them and notices how other people treat them. Those who mistreat orphans, widows and aliens are not considered friends of God.
Since we hold as one of our highest principles of life that each person has human dignity given by their creator, each person in the eyes of God has a place within the family and is considered one of God’s own sons and daughters. We describe with great clarity and compassion the plight of the unborn, as we should. We do show concern for those who are older and easily taken advantage of and remind ourselves that we are called to be neighbor to them as well. After that, there does seem to be some lived inconsistency in many of our minds and hearts.
Having heard the Scriptures and Jesus’ definition of neighbor, what is the consistent Catholic approach to those who are orphans, widows, alien in a foreign land, imprisoned and facing death penalties and others who are not as powerful or influential as the rest of us? Are we called to be neighbor to them, or can we excuse ourselves because of some national policy or our own fear and discomfort? Human dignity is a very precious gift and is not surrendered by any human being’s choice or action. And since each person has human dignity given to them by God, we in good faith must treat them as our neighbors, as our brothers and sisters.
As you have read in my columns many times before, this is not the time to point fingers at other people, but certainly a chance for us to examine our own personal lives and the way we treat other people and our attitudes towards them. Do we consider other people less than ourselves or allow them to be treated in a way that we would not want to be treated? What have we done with our own individual and collective lives to make the Scriptures that we hear this weekend come alive in our communities, families and churches? What do we do to give a voice to those who have no voice of their own and no power of their own?
If the widow, the orphan, or the alien in a strange land call out to God, God will hear their voice, and God will notice the ones who failed to hear their voice and to be a neighbor to them.
Father Donald Wester is retired and serves as lecturer of homiletics at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
