Monday, August 19, 2024

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew 19:16-22)

It’s essential to understand that today’s gospel applies to all Christians and not to those entering a convent or a novitiate.  All must give up excess affluence to support the poor.  Pope Leo XIII stated this truth in his ground-breaking encyclical Rerum Novarum.  He wrote: “But when the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, it is a duty to give to the poor out of that which remains.”

Pope Leo went on to explain that this is not a principle of justice but of charity.  In other words, if people are to love as Jesus commanded his followers, they must share their bounty.  Failing to do so comprises a refusal to follow him.

We sometimes struggle with worry about “a rainy day.” Certainly, some provision for contingencies is prudent.  Done to an excess, however, we deny the Providence of God.  We should regularly examine our treasures with an eye on parting with some of it for the good of those in need.

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