Reflection
The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers that give poetic expression to deep human emotions, everything from grief to hope. For many of us, I suspect, the psalm response that comes after the first reading at our Eucharistic Liturgy is little more than an interlude or bridge to the second reading or gospel. But today’s Psalm 34 truly expresses what so many of our brothers and sisters are experiencing:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”
The psalm includes this verse:
“The Lord confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.”
I suppose there are some “evildoers” who just want to do evil things. But more often, the ones inflicting “evil” believe they are righteous, doing God’s work or enforcing the law, or just being funny. What we read and see in news accounts of what immigrants are enduring, even accounting for particular political bias, should touch every one of our hearts.
The Passion of Christ compels us to love. But first we need to listen to the cries of the poor. We have to hear them, even when it make us uncomfortable. They are our brothers and sisters, fellow human beings, and certainly not people to be made fun of or called names. What inspired me in my work with the Passionists during the province campaign—and continues to inspire me—is the charism to not be afraid of the brokenness in our lives, our families and in our world. Into that pain and suffering, we each can bring the healing love of Jesus.
