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.
