September 8, Ordinary 23B (Proverbs 22:1–2, 8–9, 22–23)
There is no reward in heaven for those who work to accumulate wealth rather than care for people.
Does God create certain people to be poor? Are poor people destined for struggle by God’s design?
Three of the four gospels repeat Jesus’ statement that the poor will always be there, though he, in human form, will not be. So if the poor will always be poor, why not just leave them alone to be mistreated, ignored, overlooked, and hidden? Is there a scripture verse that says, “Let the poor be poor”? Since they will always be there, perhaps we just accept it and move on.
A friend’s young child once asked her and her husband how to make love. They were startled. While they had assumed that one day they would have to answer this question, this seemed far too soon. They spoke quietly to each other, attempting to get out of the conversation without being dishonest but also without being too honest. The dad started to talk about how when two people are in love, they often get married. Their precocious son continued to ask, How do you make love? It was obvious their stalling tactics were not working.
