Tuesday of the
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
(I Kings 21:17-29; Matthew 5:43-48)
For practical purposes Ahab gets away with murder in
today’s first reading. He witnesses the
treachery of his wife but does nothing to stop her. He appropriates Naboth’s garden like a
bandit. He even repents of his crime and
does not face retribution. The story sounds
incredible but there is a parallel happening today.
The wealthy in our society are creating safe havens for
themselves while leaving the poor in misery.
They construct gated communities where they are shielded from the plight
of the less fortunate. They send their children
to the best schools while education for the poor often lacks funding. Their politicians and economic advisors make
available ways to avoid paying taxes. But
they become outraged if a poor person uses food stamps to buy a sirloin steak. Meanwhile the wealthy are more likely found
in church thanking God for the good life they have. Where is the justice of it all?
We find justice in Jesus Christ. He insists that his followers take care of the
poor. More than that, we are called to
be the source of reconciliation. We are
to work for the unity between rich and poor, women and men, black and white. If we forsake this responsibility, our posterity
will face the social turmoil that Ahab’s descendants experienced. We pray now for the virtues of justice and
prudence to bring about social peace.
