MANAGING GOD'S MANNA

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The second reading in today's mass is an excerpt from Chapter 8 of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, seems a pretty timely one for us in the 21st Century U.S. It seems that a severe famine in Judea was causing great hardship for the Christians in Jerusalem, and Paul was encouraging the Christians in Corinth to send financial help to their need brothers and sisters:

Brothers and sisters:

As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,

knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,

may you excel in this gracious act also.

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, 

so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,

but that as a matter of equality

your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,

so that their abundance may also supply your needs,

that there may be equality.

As it is written:

"Whoever had much did not have more,

and whoever had little did not have less."

The last two lines are from Exodus 16:18, describing the way the Lord distributed the manna to the Israelites in the desert, giving to each family exactly what they needed, and he uses this passage to back up his instruction:  "that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality."

Recent Catholic social teaching and papal addresses have challenged us to keep these principles in mind even on the international level. But even before getting to that widest application of the idea, we Christians should be mindful, in this time of such economic inequality, that the Lord who distributed manna with such equity is going to ask each of us to account for our own use of the worldly possessions he has given us.

What is your own attitude toward your possessions relative to your obligation to your needy neighbors? Much current political rhetoric seems to imply that our country has little obligation toward poorer nations or toward refugees. Today's message from Paul challenges us as individuals not to let that attitude sift into our souls so that we feel less obligation to share our wealth with our neighbors.

Paul's argument in favor of generosity to one's neighbor in 55 a.d. still holds for us: For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor.

Amen!