SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
Isn’t it still the same as the reading (Luke 16:1-13) has it?
The poor get the worst of things, and are diddled; it’s quite contemporary.
It is about greed and fooling the poor; raising the shekel – like raising the exchange rate so that the poorer countries get less dollars for their kwacha and rupees; golden handshakes for people whose greed is palpable and whose attitudes have left so many people hard up; money well protected and taxes avoided if not evaded.
Our waste of food could feed so many.
People are poor not through their own fault but because they are neglected.
How many of the poorer schools are becoming less well off, with resources such as special needs assistants taken away. Hospital care is getting worse, as people wait for prolonged periods for treatment. Mostly the poor will first suffer from economic mishap. God hates this – he hates mistreatment of his people. Jesus raged against the exploitation of the poor.
We pay tribute to the people who work for the poor and needy – in the parish; in diocesan and other social agencies, and our volunteers at home and abroad. Can we vote for public representatives who care for the poor?
The call to the Church is to care as Jesus cared; we need the harsh words of the reading sometimes to waken us up, and the story of Jesus to make sure we don’t sleep again.
Pope Francis said:
‘if investments in banks drop a little,
it’s a tragedy!
But if people are starving, if they have nothing to eat, if they are not healthy,
it does not matter!’
This is our crisis today,
Lord, may your kingdom come.
.
