What Does the Christ Teach Us About the Poor?

This is a question that can neither be dismissed by followers of the Christ, nor can it easily answered (not missing a teaching). In the earliest days of his ministry, Jesus is said to have called a group of fishermen to walk and teach with him. They appear in scripture as "religious" Jews; those who adhered to dietary laws, worshiped in the synagogue, and followed the letter of the law of orthodox Judaism. They knew what they were to do and when they were to do it and found it difficult to contradict their religious tradition.

The first disciples of the Christ were poor themselves. I don't mean financially poor (which they might well have been), but poor in the sense of their blind adherence to religious law and ritual. Jesus explained that he was to proclaim and teach a new law; a law grounded in respect and compassion; equality and integrity. This confused the disciples and they questioned most of what they heard from Jesus. They feared for their spiritual well being when Jesus' and their actions went against the tradition and laws of their religion.

Despite the present recession and economic insecurity, most Americans want to do all that we can to maintain the look of confidence and economic well being. We would rather carry groceries in bags with well known names than to be seen bringing in groceries in our own re-sused bags or indicating a low cost grocery store.

During these uncertain times, there have been wonderful news stories about families working together to make ends meet. Some are sharing home garden space with one another and planting vegetables, others have turned their backs on long standing traditions of lavish proms and hundreds of dollars in formal wear for a "prom clothing" exchange and recycled prom gowns, shoes and other accessories. We have learned that together we can do better than we can do alone and that more individuals and families benefit from joint effort.

Jesus spoke with the "poor" of society. He welcomed children to gather with him and women were encouraged to speak rather than remain silent. He treated the rich tax collector and those living with leprosy, in the same manner and respect. He violated orthodox Judaism in order to make the point that caring for others is more important than ignoring them because there is a law prohibiting reaching out, feeding them, what they could be fed, or whatever.

Indeed, we are all poor in one way or another. Last weekend, I sat in a gathering of Sisters and as we began sharing about our lives since our last meeting, I was acutely aware of my poor hearing. I strained to hear, but I missed much of the conversation. I don't have the finances to go out and purchase a hearing aid at this time. Once I said something about my inability to hear well, several of the Sisters periodically looked over at me to see if I was hearing what was being said. Not having money for a hearing aid was not the source of my poverty; it was my feeling marginalized in a situation where I was a member of a group and didn't know all that was being said. Jesus was present in that group, especially in those who reached out, not to encourage me to buy a hearing aid, but who filled in the blanks created by my hearing deficit.

We don't have to look far beyond ourselves to find the poor, and we need only to remind ourselves of the example of the Christ when we encounter those who are poor and we reach out in love and embrace each of them as sisters and brothers.