Yew Jin shared something during choir practise today which is pretty thought provoking.
he mentioned attended social mission conference (smc) and that there were 2 things which he’d like to share with LCC.
the first was charity and justice. the second was apathy.
firstly, he shared that charity and justice goes hand in hand. if we have more than we need and we give to someone who has less than he needs, it is not charity. it is justice. this is because it is every human’s right to have access to his basic needs. if we do not give to those who has less than they need, it is equivalent to stealing because we are depriving them of their needs. it is very interesting to note that in the bible, something similar is mentioned.
Deuteronomy 24: 12-13
v12 If a poor person gives you a coat to show he will pay the loan back, don’t keep it overnight.
v13 Give the coat back at sunset, because your neighbor needs that coat to sleep in, and he will be grateful to you. And the Lord your God will see that you have done a good thing.
the second thing Yew Jin shared was about apathy. as catholics, we cannot be apathetic to the needs of our fellow men.
Luke 16:19-31
v19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. v20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores v21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
v22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. v23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. v24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
v25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. v26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
v27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, v28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
v29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
v30” ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
v31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ “
in this particular gospel story, the rich man did not do anything to harm Lazarus. in fact, he did absolutely nothing. yet he was in hell. when i first read this story, i always thought it was maybe something the rich man did while he was still alive. or maybe, it was his riches and love for money that brought him to hell. this morning, Yew Jin shared another perspective. that of neglect.
Matthew 25:31-46
v31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. v32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. v33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
v34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. v35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, v36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
v37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? v38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? v39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
v40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
v41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. v42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, v43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
v44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
v45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
v46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
in today’s gospel, Jesus said that once the householder has closed the door, anyone else who wishes to enter would be told that they are not recognised. how then are we to be recognised?
Matthew 7:21-23
v21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. v22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ v23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
it is not enough to say we know God if we do not care for our fellow men. Jesus said plainly that what we do to the least of our brothers, we are doing unto Him. i think especially right now, when there seems to be a lot of people begging on the streets, selling tissue papers, it is very easy to say to ourselves that these people are good for nothing. it is very easy to think that they are just trying to scam us. however, we will fall into the trap of apathy. we would be judging them and that’s not what we are called to do. we are called to give to the poor. if these people are just pretending to be poor and we got ourselves ‘scammed’ into giving them, at least we have discharged our duties. let them face their judgement with God.
heh. heavy stuffs in the morning.
