Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

Lectionary: 451

Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, “Who is the LORD?”
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.

With the historic emergence of an economic middle class -- something the authors of the Bible could not imagine -- many people live the above verse. They have the food they need, and most other resources of housing, health care, education, leisure, and an old age without destitution. But they're not wealthy. They don't have so much that they can snub their faith with remarks like, "Who is the Lord?" Nor are they poor and driven to thievery. 

The middle class lives with the possibility of failure. And so they create insurance policies, pensions, and other "safety nets" to secure their way of life. Aware of the possibility of garnering more wealth they invest in markets; fearful of poverty they organize into labor unions. They also create democratic governments that should protect their interests against the powerful few who would exploit them. 

But some, feeling comfortable and becoming complacent, flirt with failure. They pay little attention to politics and believe only what they want to hear. They ignore the institutions of local government, volunteer agencies and church which would keep them in touch with the world beyond family and lookalike friends. Some invest heavily in lifestyles laced with alcohol, drugs, gambling, and cheap entertainment. Biblical proverbs remind us that fools forget the possibility of catastrophe. 

...like epidemics. We thought they were things of the past. We were sure public health care systems would  protect us against them. In fact, complacency pooh-poohed the guardians of public health as alarmists. 

According to the Minnesota Department of Health: 

The areas of public health responsibility include (1) assuring an adequate local public health infrastructure, (2) promoting healthy communities and healthy behaviors, (3) preventing the spread of communicable disease, (4) protecting against environmental health hazards, (5) preparing for and responding to emergencies, and (6) assuring health services. 

Even now many people prefer the proverbial ostrich's posture of burying their heads in the sand rather than supporting public health care measures. They hope that climate change is a liberal conspiracy. And when finally faced with the imminent threat of destruction and death, they piously declare "it's the end of the world." 

 Jesus tells us what to do with fools, "...shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” He has announced the end of the world as we know it, and the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. To live in his new world we receive the Baptism he offers and the Spirit he breathes upon us. Baptism includes the renunciation of former ways of life, atoning for sin, membership in the living Body of the Church, and confident participation in the world around us. 

We understand that human beings have created the world as it is, with its danger and violence and its possibilities for good. We're not given to blaming others but we do recognize past mistakes. The world as we know it has become impossibly complex; no one understands the deepest issues that have led to these catastrophes. But as Christians we believe the Spirit of God will lead us through the narrow gate to salvation. 

May God have mercy on us and our poor planet.