Brief synopsis of the readings: Speaking for God, Jeremiah curses “the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord.” But he praises those who put trust in the Lord with the Lord for his hope. In Luke’s Gospel we read about Jesus speaking to a large crowd. “How happy are you who are poor; yours is the kingdom of God.” Likewise happy are those who are hungry or weeping because their reward is great. But “alas for you who are rich; you are having your consolation now.” Likewise alas for those who have had their fill or who now laugh. Finally, “alas for you when the world speaks well of you!”
If today’s Gospel sounds familiar, it should. It reads very closely to Matthew 5, often called the Beatitudes. I don’t think this will be news to anyone, but different translations of the Bible choose different words but hopefully don’t change the meaning of the text. Any Bible worth reading will translate directly from the original languages (Hebrew and Greek). No serious Bible will be translated from (for example) Greek to Latin to English because the chances for losing the original meaning are too great.
And while I do this with great hesitancy knowing I’m coming up against serious Bible scholars, I think that some translations are better than others. The lectionary I use is approved for Australia and New Zealand and it translates “How happy are you who are poor; yours is the kingdom of God.” But other Bibles use the word “blest” or “blessed” instead of “happy” and I think those words are more accurate.
I understand that Luke is writing about a dichotomy between those who benefit from earthly wealth now versus those who seek God’s wealth . But I just don’t think people who are poor or hungry or who weep are happy. Nor do I think we should tell them that they should be happy.
None of us choose the circumstances into which we are born, nor should we (particularly as children) be held responsible for our place.
A few years ago I heard a report on what happens to clothing that’s donated to charities in the United States. It turns out that most of it is not sold locally but is instead sent to poorer countries where the need is greater. But before these articles of clothing reach their final destination they have to be “cut down” from large and extra large to small and medium. I’ll be the first to confess that I’ve donated a large number of t-shirts, in many cases because I had “grown” so much that the cotton/polyester just couldn’t keep up.
The majority of us, dear readers, are American and I this we can safely say we’ve all been blessed by the lottery of our birth. And I’m aware of how much is spent yearly on medications and machines that “burn calories” when large parts of our world struggle to consume enough calories to survive.
Clearly both Jeremiah and Luke are telling us that while we are born into a world that’s unequal we are called to move beyond it. I wasn’t, but many of my peers were told to “clean your plate” because of “starving children in (fill in the blank here). I don’t think it made us more concerned about the poor but instead made us feel guilty for what we had. Type 2 diabetes among the wealthy does not bless the poor.
OK, so let’s reset. Instead of fearing that today’s overweight condemns us eternal starvation or today’s laughter will be replaced eternal weeping, let us look another way.
Instead of turning entitlement into guilt let us turn entitlement into generosity. Many of us already give to Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, and other global charities. But let us do more.
I was speaking with another person who looked like me and out of his frustration said: “I keep hearing about White privilege but what am I supposed to do about it?” Let us overtip: if your server at a restaurant looks like you it’s a fair bet that whoever washes your dishes doesn’t. And, by the way, instead of leaning over while someone is removing your plate, pick it up, hand it to the person, and say “thank you.” If you’re in line at the grocery store and the person in front of you slows the line because he or she is buying groceries with several coupons, say something encouraging. If you drive by someone who is rooting through garbage cans for soda cans he can redeem and you see you have several empty cans in your car, offer him yours. During the holidays think about the people who have consistently provided service to you (e.g. your drycleaner) and buy some gift certificates.
I have a friend who spent six miserable weeks waiting tables at a restaurant while he interviewed for jobs in his field. One evening he saw one of his coworkers crying. She explained that one of her tables left the restaurant without paying the bill. It was the policy of the restaurant that she was responsible for the bill. The manager understood the situation and didn’t charge her but she was still stiffed (not tipped). My friend put down his tray and hugged her. She never forgot that simple kindness.
When we do this two things will happen. We will provide for those who were not as fortunate as us. But it will also allow us to see each other and acknowledge that we are all creations of a God who loves us passionately and wants the best for all of us.
When a filthy rich person gives a filthy amount of money to have his name on the side of a hospital for sick children we all cheer, and in fairness we should. We all want children to be safe and healthy. But I think God also notices when we overtip and hug a coworker who needed it that night.
And if we donate a t-shirt we’ve outgrown let us donate it while praying for the person who receives it.