Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Saint Matthew began his story about Jesus with the appearance of a star, a bright light, drawing the magi first to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. In the Gospel's fourth chapter we discover the star has become the day star and the once-darkened "Lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles" are now bright with the coming of the Savior. The spreading light invites fishermen to join him and "I will make you fishers of men."
In following Jesus, Isaiah's ancient promise is fulfilled, "Then your light shall break forth like the dawn." And more importantly, "they [will] see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."
With an eager group of "scholars" here at Mount Saint Francis, I have taken up a study of Deuteronomy. I hope that we discover more about God's purpose as we meet the ancient nation which fashioned the fifth book of the Pentateuch over the course of centuries. Learning from our fathers and mothers in the faith, we will appreciate and appropriate our mission in the twenty-first century.
One thing that I notice in the Word is that our greatest satisfactions are to live within God's covenant, to accept God's generosity, and to glorify our heavenly Father. Forgetting ourselves and leaving behind even the thought of our unworthiness, we enjoy and relish the brilliantly shining presence of God. As Saint Peter said, "It is good to be here!"
And when others see our joy and the ease, confidence, and freedom that come with joy, they will see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father.
As I present this unexpected teaching to my scholars, we struggle to realize this freedom amid all Deuteronomy's thundering threats against the nations and against God's elect. The latter are so often disgruntled, suspicious, and stiff-necked, they cannot comprehend God's purposes, which are very serious!
The word liberal begins with liber, a Latin word meaning free, as in liberate. Even today someone might give liberally without being suspected of being a Democrat or a Communist. Our first reading today, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, urges us to be liberal:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
That kind of behavior proves the freedom of God's people. They are so confident of God's providential care that their ownership of food, clothing, shelter, and other resources is simply a conduit to the needy. Neither Deuteronomy nor the Gospels expect that someday there will be no poverty. Rather, there is Jesus's assurance, "You always have the poor with you."
Because we are God's people we will never be freed of that freedom, nor excused from the obligation to give freely. By living in such freedom you will "glorify your heavenly Father."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.