Thursday of the
Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(James 2:1-9; Mark 8:27-33)
In a disturbing book published a few years ago
sociologist Charles Murray wrote that the rich are more likely to have
Christian values than the poor. That is,
they are more likely to go to church, to get married, and to work than their
poor counterparts. The report raises the
question about how to respond to James’ assertion in today’s first reading that
the poor, not the rich, deserve praise.
James is making a sweeping but not inherently unfair
generalization. Indeed, the poor are
often ignored while the rich receive most people’s admiration. As everyone knows, the rich usually have
plenty of money that might be employed for any purpose. The poor on the other are likely to have
problems that are hard to deal with. Still
the poor are not only created in the image of God, but they also represent
Christ, the poor one. James urges that
Christians concern themselves with poor people’s needs at least as much as they
court the rich for possible favors.
For decades faith based community organizing linked
church-goers from well-to-do areas with the inner-city faithful in alliances
working for the common good. The results
were both tangible and spiritual. Laws
were passed that improved community life, and people of all stripes knew one
another as colleagues. Sadly many of
these coalitions fell apart from the lack of a coherent political vision. Somehow the spirit of the community
organizations must be revived to allow the poor to thrive along with the rich in
the sight of God.
