[stephenkhoo]

THE REWARD OF REACHING OUT TO SINNERS AND THE POOR
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ROM 11:29-36; LK 14:12-14
http://www.universalis.com/20131104/mass.htm

We often speak about how birds of a feather flock together. The corollary of this wise saying is that if we want to become wise, we must associate with the wise; and if we want to become powerful, then we must develop contacts with the powerful. Thus, it is only natural that parents are particularly selective about whom their children mix with. Such an attitude is certainly prudent because parents fear that their children can be influenced negatively.

Of course, this is true for us too. We prefer to be associated with people who are considered to be respectable and upright. We prefer to mix with those whom we have an affinity with and shun those whom we do not like or because they do not always agree with us. We want to be associated with those who can bring us joy and pleasure.

If we act in this manner, then we are like the Pharisees who did not want to be associated with the poor and the sinners. They kept their distance because they did not want to be contaminated by them lest they become unclean. Such was the mindset that they had been brought up with. In the psalms, we read often that the righteous man is one who has nothing to do with sinners and the enemies of God.

The question is, whether such an approach is truly Christ-like? In the mind of Jesus, such an attitude is not what the Father wants of us. For in the eyes of Jesus, the Good News is especially addressed to such people who need to be reconciled with God and with society. Hence, Jesus advised His host who was one of the leading Pharisees to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”; those who cannot repay him rather than to ask his “friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours” when he hosts a lunch or a dinner. Indeed, the Church has always taught that we must have a preferential option for the poor, the anawim of society, especially those who are despised, oppressed and considered useless in the world.

Today, we might not have so many poor, crippled, lame or blind among us. Yet, we can be very sure that the poor today would include those who are not only financially poor but also those poor in love and generosity; the crippled are those who are unable to get out of the lure of the material world or their insecurities; the lame are those who are trying to be faithful to the gospel yet the sins of this world continue to have a grip on them; and the blind are those who not only continue to live a godless life by not acknowledging God in their lives but also in such a way that hurt their fellowmen. And indeed, all of us belong to one of these categories in some ways. In fact, if we feel that we do not belong to any one these, then we can be more certain that we truly belong to the last category, that is, of the blind!

It is truly unfortunate that the Church is often more identified with the institution, with the rich, or middle-class, educated and balanced people. Most of the low income groups such as blue-collar workers are non-Christians. In contrast, we must ask who Jesus’ friends are. Not the rich and powerful, but the tax-collectors, despised and hated by the people, the commoners, and the fishermen!

What is the basis for us to reach out to the poor, the sinners and the marginalized of society? The first reason is that in reaching out to them, we experience the mercy of God. In the context of the letter to the Romans, St Paul was explaining the place and the destiny of the Jews with regard to the Good News. According to Paul, the Jews have a role to play in the history of salvation. St Paul remarked, “God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.” So according to St Paul, it was the rejection of the Good News by the Jews that the Good News could be offered to the Gentiles; the rest of the world. Through their disobedience, the world came to know the mercy of God.

Similarly, when we reach out to the poor or sinners, we will also come to experience the mercy of God through them. By working for and with the poor, we come to appreciate our blessings in life and also learn to identify with them in their struggles and pain. By associating with sinners, we also learn from their mistakes and the consequences that they suffer. Seeing the misery and the price they have to pay for their mistakes, this should warn us not to fall into the same snares of the devil. Of course, in ministering to sinners, this will also help us to be less judgmental and enable us to empathize with their uphill struggles against temptations and fears. Hence, by welcoming the poor and the sinners into our lives, we experience the mercy and love of God indirectly. At the same, time, not only do we come to understand them or learn from their mistakes, we also grow in love, generosity and compassion.

And perhaps, this is the greatest reward. Indeed, finding growth through reaching out to the unwanted and alienated of society is precisely the kind of reward Jesus meant when He said, “That they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.” In other words, although they cannot pay us back in kind, they pay us back in virtue when we experience joy, love and meaning in life. On the other hand, if we invite only the rich, what can they give us in return? The same as what we give them! So in reality, we have not gained anything since this simply becomes an exchange of the same gifts, which does not contribute to our growth. Helping those who cannot reciprocate gives us a joy that is so different from rendering services to those who can return us the same materially or financially.

The second reason that justifies our reaching out to marginalized people is simply the fact that God loves them. In the first reading, speaking of the ungrateful Jews, St Paul said, “God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.” So in spite of the fact that the Jews rejected the gospel, God wants their salvation. In the same vein, we can be sure that God counts the poor and the sinners as those whom He wants to invite to the Kingdom. It is for this reason that Jesus came. He wants not only the holy, the righteous and the rich to be saved, but the Good News is principally for the poor, the lame, the blind, the deaf and the prisoners. Indeed, because the Father loves them, we too are called to love them and to seek out those who are lost or wounded in their search for God and for life.

Today, we are called to trust and rely on the wisdom and knowledge of God instead of our own human wisdom. St Paul urges us to trust in the riches of the depths of God’s love. God in His wise providence has allowed evil, sin and suffering to exist in the world; for through all these, both the good and the bad can benefit; the good becomes better, the strong becomes stronger; the bad becomes good and the weak becomes strong. So together in this journey of growth and life, let us reach out not only to those who are healthy but also to the sick and the sinners and the difficult ones in our lives, for through them and with them, we will come to the banquet of life and love.